At the machine
Before you put cash into a crypto ATM
Six questions, one minute. If the answer to any of them is yes, stop. Don’t put the money in.
Crypto sent from a kiosk usually can’t be reversed, so the time to stop a scam is before you send. If someone you haven’t met told you to use the machine, is on the phone with you, gave you a QR code, or says you must pay a fine, bill or fee this way, stop: it is a scam. Only send to a wallet you created yourself.
Checked and updated by Byte Federal’s fraud-prevention team. How we check facts.
Six questions
Tick the ones that are true. You can print this page and keep it by the phone.
What a normal crypto ATM purchase looks like
People use crypto ATMs for ordinary reasons: to buy bitcoin with cash, often without a bank account. A purchase like that has four things in common:
- It was your idea. Nobody called, texted or messaged you to suggest it.
- The wallet is yours. You set it up yourself, and you are the only person with its recovery words. Never share those with anyone, for any reason.
- Nobody is guiding you on the phone, and nobody told you what to say.
- You understand it can’t be undone. Crypto sent to the wrong address is generally gone.
Read the warning screens. They describe this exact scam because operators see it every day, and in several states the law requires them. Crypto ATM laws by state lists which states set daily limits or make the operator reimburse scam losses from its own funds.
Questions people ask
Someone told me to “buy and send crypto instantly”. Is that a scam?
If the person telling you is someone you haven’t met, or someone who called, texted or messaged you, yes. Buying crypto for yourself is legal; sending it to an address a stranger gave you is how the scam works.
Is it safe to use a crypto ATM?
Using one to buy crypto for your own wallet, on your own decision, is legal in most states. The risk is not the machine but who is telling you to use it. If anyone else is directing you, stop.
The machine showed a warning and asked if someone sent me. What should I answer?
The truth. Those warnings are there because this scam is common. If you have to tap through a warning that describes your situation, stop and walk away from the machine.
Why did the machine ask for my ID, or the operator call me?
Because licensed operators are required to know their customers, and the better ones use that to protect them. Byte Federal, which publishes this site, checks ID on every transaction and calls customers aged 60 and over before they buy; it reports that 60% of those customers decide not to go ahead. If an operator calls, it is not trying to get in your way. Tell them who sent you.
I have already put the money in. What now?
Go to what to do in the first hour. Call the operator whose name is on the machine and your receipt right away, and keep the receipt.
Sources for this page
- FTC consumer alert: Did someone send you to a Bitcoin ATM? It’s a scam (Mar 7, 2024) · “Will someone from the government send you to a Bitcoin ATM? NEVER.” No government bitcoin accounts, no “federal safety lockers”.
- FTC consumer alert: Did someone insist you pay them with cryptocurrency? (Aug 28, 2023) · “Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency.”
- FTC consumer alert: Sure ways to spot a scammer (Mar 7, 2024) · “Only say what I tell you to say”, “Don’t trust anyone”, “Don’t hang up”: each one a scam.
- FBI public service announcement I-051526-PSA: Cryptocurrency kiosk complaint data by state (May 15, 2026) · “No legitimate law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment via a cryptocurrency kiosk.” What to give the FBI: TXID, wallet address, kiosk location.
- FBI public service announcement: Fraudulent schemes leveraging cryptocurrency ATMs and QR codes (Nov 4, 2021) · Scammers send a QR code for their wallet, direct the victim to a crypto ATM and give step-by-step instructions.
- FBI public service announcement: Scammers impersonating law enforcement and government officials (Sept 17, 2026) · Nearly 61,000 complaints and over $1.6 billion lost, Jan 2025 – Jul 2026; jury-duty and warrant scripts; payment into crypto kiosks.
- FTC Consumer Protection Data Spotlight on bitcoin ATM fraud (Sept 3, 2024) · Jan–Jun 2024 loss reports: a phone call was the most common first contact (about 47%), then online ads or pop-ups (16%); about 86% of people reporting a loss were on government impersonation, business impersonation or tech support scams; median loss $10,000; people 60+ more than three times as likely to report a loss.
- FinCEN Notice FIN-2025-NTC1: Use of convertible virtual currency kiosks for scam payments (Aug 4, 2025) · “Many scammers using CVC kiosks initiate contact with potential victims through unsolicited calls”; tech support scams are the most common kiosk scam; scammers stay on the phone until the payment is made and pick the machines.
- FTC consumer alert: Never move your money to “protect it.” That’s a scam (Mar 5, 2024) · Anyone who says you must move your money to protect it is a scammer.
- Byte Federal: Crypto ATM fraud prevention, stopping fraud at every layer · Byte Federal’s controls, and its internal compliance data: live recorded calls with every customer aged 60 and over; “as of June 2026, 60% of these customers do not conduct a transaction.”
Every source was opened and checked on November 8, 2026. Laws and agency figures change; if you find something out of date, write to hello@cryptoatmscam.com and we will correct it.
Cite this page
Crypto ATM Scam Help. “Before you send: a scam checklist for crypto ATM users.” Updated November 8, 2026. https://cryptoatmscam.com/before-you-send/