Paid a Scammer at a Bitcoin ATM? What to Do Now

Put cash into a Bitcoin ATM because someone told you to? Call the machine’s operator now. The FTC’s advice is to contact the ATM operator immediately, say it was a fraudulent transaction, and ask them to reverse it and refund your money. Crypto is hard to get back because payments usually can’t be reversed, but it’s worth asking. In Arizona, for one, the state’s refund rule requires reporting within 30 days. Here’s what to do, what to save, where to report it and how to avoid a second scam.

Bitcoin ATM scam: what to do right now

1. Stop and cut off contact. Hang up, stop replying and don’t deposit more cash, whatever the caller promises or threatens. Is there a legit reason for someone to send you to a Bitcoin ATM? “The short answer is NO,” the FTC says. The FBI tells impersonation scam victims to immediately stop all contact with the scammers. And if the kiosk operator calls to warn that a transaction looks like fraud, stop or cancel it.

2. Call the ATM operator. Tell them it was fraud and ask them to reverse the transaction and refund you (FTC). The operator’s support number is usually on the machine, and may be on your receipt. Don’t call any number the scammer gave you; that will only take you back to the scammer.

3. Keep the receipt and write down the details. Save any receipt or transaction record from the kiosk (FBI IC3). For your reports, the FBI asks for these details (FBI IC3, FBI IC3):

   • the transaction ID (TXID, also called a hash) and the wallet address the money went to;
   • the kiosk’s location;
   • the amount and type of crypto, and the date and time;
   • the scammer’s phone numbers, email addresses and messages.

   Transaction IDs and wallet addresses look like long strings of random letters and numbers. “The most important information you can provide are transaction details,” the FBI says, but report even if you’re missing some (FBI IC3). Check your receipt: in Arizona, it must show the operator’s phone number, the transaction hash and the wallet addresses (Arizona law).

4. Tell your bank. Tell your bank, investment or retirement company right away, especially if you moved money, so it can help safeguard your accounts. Also sent a bank transfer or gift cards? See paid a scammer through Zelle or gift card scams.

5. Report it to the police and the FBI. File a report with your local police department and a complaint at IC3.gov (FBI IC3). Don’t wait: a state refund rule may come with a deadline (see below).

6. Secure your devices and accounts. If the scammer got into your computer, or got passwords or personal information, follow the FTC’s steps and see I let a scammer into my computer.

How Bitcoin ATM scams work

Bitcoin ATMs, also called crypto ATMs or crypto kiosks, are ATM-like machines that exchange cash for cryptocurrency. They often handle other cryptocurrencies too.

The scam usually follows the same steps (FTC, FBI IC3):

1. A scary story. A call, text or computer pop-up claims there’s suspicious activity or unauthorized charges on your account, or that your information is linked to money laundering or drug smuggling. The caller may pose as your bank (FinCEN), a company like Amazon, Microsoft or Apple (FTC), or a government agent, even one “from the FTC.”
2. Cash out. You’re told to withdraw cash from your bank, investment or retirement account to “protect” it or fix the problem.
3. A specific machine. The caller sends you to a nearby Bitcoin ATM, often a particular one, and may stay on the phone with step-by-step instructions.
4. A QR code. They send you a QR code to scan at the machine. It holds their wallet address, so the cash you insert goes straight to them.

Most reported losses at these machines involve government impersonation, business impersonation and tech support scams (FTC). Romance and lottery scams use them too (FBI IC3), and so do fake emergencies from callers pretending to be someone you know (FinCEN, FBI IC3). See grandparent scams and AI voice clones.

You’re not alone. In 2025, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 13,400 complaints involving crypto kiosks, with losses over $388 million, up 58% from 2024. Some of those complaints may also have involved other payment types (FBI IC3). People 60 and older reported about $257 million of the losses (2025 IC3 Annual Report, p. 53).

Signs a loved one may be in the middle of one

The FBI lists these warning signs (FBI IC3):

• large cash withdrawals, especially for the first time, and requests for large bills;
• a QR code they can’t explain;
• confusion or nervousness when asked why they’re withdrawing cash;
• talking on the phone, confused, while withdrawing cash or using a crypto kiosk.

Crypto ATM scam red flags: what the caller says vs. what’s true

What the caller says	What’s true
“Your money is at risk. Withdraw cash and put it in a Bitcoin ATM to keep it safe.”	“Never withdraw cash in response to an unexpected call or message. Only scammers will tell you to do that” (FTC). Neither Bitcoin nor the ATM will protect your money (FTC).
“It’s a government Bitcoin account,” or a “safety locker.”	There’s “no such thing as a government Bitcoin account or digital wallet,” and “There are no Bitcoin federal safety lockers” (FTC).
“Scan this QR code at the machine.”	“Only a scammer will give you a QR code to ‘help’ you deposit your life savings in a Bitcoin ATM” (FTC).
“Stay on the line. Don’t tell anyone, not even your bank.”	A caller who stays on the phone while you go to a crypto ATM, or tells you to lie about why you’re withdrawing money, is a scammer (FTC). Telling you to keep it from family, your bank or police is a scam tactic (FBI IC3).
“I’m from the FTC, the police or the FBI. Pay here.”	“No legitimate law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment via a cryptocurrency kiosk” (FBI IC3). The real FTC will never tell you to deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM (FTC).

See also: is that call really from your bank? and jury duty or arrest warrant calls.

Are Bitcoin ATMs legit?

The machines themselves are real businesses. For some people they’re a convenient way to buy or send crypto, the FTC says, “but for scammers they’ve become an easy way to steal” (FTC).

Under federal law, kiosk operators are generally treated as money services businesses, subject to anti-money-laundering rules, and some states add rules of their own (FinCEN, August 2025). Minnesota went further: since August 1, 2026, state law prohibits operating crypto kiosks there (Minnesota Session Laws 2026, ch. 65).

What’s never legit is someone else sending you to one. “Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency” (FTC). Real government agencies and banks don’t tell you to withdraw cash or use cryptocurrency to send money (CFPB).

Can you get money back from a Bitcoin ATM scam?

Sometimes, but it’s hard.

• Crypto payments usually can’t be undone. Once you pay, “you can usually only get your money back if the person you paid sends it back” (FTC). The recipient “instantly owns the cryptocurrency” and often moves it overseas right away (FBI IC3).
• Fewer protections. Crypto payments don’t have the same legal protections as credit and debit cards (FTC).
• Still worth asking. It’s “always worth asking” the company you used to send the money whether there’s a way to get it back (FTC).
• The money can be traced. Crypto transactions are recorded on public ledgers called blockchains, so law enforcement can follow the money, though crypto sent overseas is harder to follow (FBI IC3). That’s why your transaction details matter.
• Some states have laws that might help (FTC). They differ by state. One example:
  • Arizona. Since September 26, 2025, operators must give a full refund, fees included, to a “new customer” (a customer for less than 10 days) who was tricked into the transaction. To qualify, the customer must contact the operator, and the police or the attorney general, within 30 days, and give the operator a report from them that finds fraud (Arizona law). Arizona’s attorney general says its office helped 35 victims get full refunds totaling $171,332 by August 2026 (Arizona AG).
  • Your state. The FTC suggests searching your state’s laws through the National Conference of State Legislatures (FTC). The CFPB also points scam victims to their state attorney general (CFPB).
• No one can promise. Government agencies and legitimate organizations won’t guarantee you’ll get your money back.

How to report a Bitcoin ATM scam

After you call the operator, report it here:

1. Local police or sheriff. File a police report (FBI IC3) using the non-emergency number or website (CFPB). In Arizona, a police or attorney general report is part of the refund process (Arizona law).
2. The FBI’s IC3. File at IC3.gov with the transaction details above. Type www.ic3.gov into your browser yourself; “sponsored” search results are usually paid imitators. IC3 doesn’t investigate cases itself and you won’t hear back from it, so for time-sensitive matters, contact local police directly (IC3).
3. The FTC. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC uses reports to build cases against scammers and spot trends.
4. Your state attorney general. Find your office through the National Association of Attorneys General (CFPB). In Arizona, the attorney general takes crypto ATM complaints online or by mail.
5. 60 or older, or helping someone who is? Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. A case manager helps you report the crime (Office for Victims of Crime), including filing with IC3 (FBI IC3).

Stopped before you paid? Report it anyway: the FBI encourages complaints “even if a financial loss did not occur”. For other scams, the report-a-scam tool lists the official channels.

Watch for the follow-up scam

The FTC calls refund and recovery scams “the worst of the worst.” Scammers buy, sell and trade lists of people who have already lost money (FTC). Be on guard if someone:

• offers to recover your crypto for a fee. The FBI says to be wary of crypto recovery services, especially those charging an up-front fee;
• says they’re a lawyer working with a government agency, or that you’re on a government list of scam victims. “There are no law firms which are officially authorized partners of US Government agencies” (FBI IC3, August 2025);
• wants payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards to get your money back (FBI IC3);
• claims to be from IC3. IC3 never contacts people directly by phone, email, social media, apps or online chat, and never asks for payment to recover lost funds. Scammers have even used an AI-generated video of an FBI leader to promote a fake IC3 website (FBI IC3, July 2026).

Government agencies and legitimate organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund. The scam recovery checklist helps you keep track of your next steps.

What varies

• Your state. Refund rights, deadlines, daily limits and even whether kiosks may operate differ by state and can change (FinCEN, Arizona, Minnesota). Arizona, for example, limits kiosk transactions to $2,000 a day for new customers and $10,500 for existing ones.
• The operator. Operators have their own refund policies. Arizona requires the policy to be stated on the receipt (Arizona law).
• Where the money went. Crypto moved overseas is harder for U.S. law enforcement to follow (FBI IC3).