Scammers use a handful of stories. Every one starts on a phone or a screen, and ends with you being told to pay in a way that can’t be undone: often a crypto ATM, sometimes gift cards, a wire or a courier. Once you have heard the scripts, they are hard to fall for.
In brief
A crypto ATM scam starts with a call, a text, a pop-up or an online friend, and ends with you putting cash into a
crypto ATM and scanning a QR code that sends it to the scammer. The story changes: the government, the police, your
bank, tech support, a romance, a family emergency. The request never does. The con happens on the phone, long before
the machine; anyone who tells you to pay at a crypto ATM is a scammer.
Checked and updated by Byte Federal’s fraud-prevention team. How we check facts.
One rule covers every script
No government agency, police department, court, bank, utility or real company will ever tell you to pay at
a crypto ATM. Not to pay a fine, not to protect your savings, not to fix your computer, not to free a
relative. If anyone asks, the conversation is over: hang up, close the chat, walk away from the machine.
The scripts below are written the way they are spoken, so you can recognize them. They are composites of what the
FTC, the FBI, FinCEN and Social Security’s inspector general describe; the names are invented. The details change
from call to call; the shape does not.
The scripts
Fake Social Security, IRS, FTC or other government agents
“Your Social Security number was used in a crime”
This is Agent Miller with the Social Security Administration. A car rented in your name was found at the border with drugs and cash. Your Social Security number is being suspended and your bank accounts will be frozen.
To protect your money, you need to move it into a secure government account today. Don’t tell anyone: this is a federal investigation.
The call is passed to a “supervisor” or a “federal officer”, sometimes with a fake badge number or a photo of an ID. You are told to withdraw cash, keep the call going, and deposit the money at a crypto ATM “for safekeeping”.
The truth: no government agency suspends Social Security numbers over the phone, and none takes payment, or “safekeeping” deposits, through a crypto ATM.
Fake police, sheriff’s deputies, US Marshals and court officers
“There is a warrant for your arrest”
This is Sergeant Davis with the county sheriff’s office. You missed jury duty, and a judge has issued a warrant for your arrest.
You can clear it today by paying the bond. If you hang up, deputies will be sent to your home.
Caller ID may show the real name or number of a police department or government agency. The fine or “bond” is to be paid at a crypto ATM the caller names, by scanning a QR code they send, while you stay on the line.
The truth: police and courts do not call to collect fines or bonds, and never by crypto ATM. If you are worried a warrant is real, hang up and call the court or the police on a number you look up yourself.
Fake bank fraud departments, and fake Amazon, PayPal or Apple support
“Your bank account has been hacked”
This is the fraud department at your bank. Someone has been draining your account. We need to move your money to a safe account while we catch them.
Your bank staff may be involved, so don’t tell the teller why you are withdrawing the cash.
The call can last for hours. You are walked through withdrawing cash and depositing it at a crypto ATM, which they call a “safe account” or even a “safety locker”, sometimes over several days and several machines.
The truth: a real bank will never ask you to move your money to protect it, and there is no such thing as a “safe account” at a crypto ATM.
Fake Microsoft, Apple or antivirus support
“Your computer is infected. Call this number.”
WARNING: your computer has been locked because of a virus. Do not shut down. Call Microsoft Support now at the number on this screen.
A pop-up gives a phone number. The “technician” asks to connect to your computer, then claims hackers have reached your bank account, hands you to a fake bank or government official, and sends you to a crypto ATM to “protect” your money. Federal regulators say this is the most common scam at crypto ATMs.
The truth: never call a number from a pop-up. Real tech companies don’t contact you to say there is a problem with your computer, and they don’t take payment through crypto ATMs.
Romance scams and “pig butchering” investment scams
The online friend with an investment tip
I’ve been doing really well with this trading platform. I can show you how. Just put a little in to start, and you can watch it grow.
It starts with a dating app, a social media message or a “wrong number” text, and weeks of friendly chat. Then comes an investment site or app that looks real and shows impressive gains. You are told to fund your “account”, sometimes at a crypto ATM. When you try to withdraw, you are told to pay “taxes” or fees first.
The truth: someone you have never met in person who steers you toward crypto investing is the classic sign of this scam. The gains on the screen are not real.
Fake electric, gas and water companies
“Your power will be cut off in 30 minutes”
This is your electric company. Your account is past due and your service will be disconnected today. To stop it, you need to pay right now.
The message may carry the utility’s logo. You are sent to a bitcoin ATM nearby, with a QR code by text, and told to pay now or lose your service.
The truth: real utilities notify you in writing before a shut-off and offer a payment plan, and none demands payment in crypto. Hang up and call the number on your bill.
Family-emergency and grandparent scams, now with cloned voices
“Grandma, it’s me. I’m in trouble.”
Grandma? It’s me. I’ve been in an accident and I’m in jail. Please don’t tell Mom. My lawyer will call you about the bail.
Caller ID can be faked, and the voice can sound like your relative: a short clip posted online is enough to clone one. A “lawyer” or “officer” then comes on the line and asks for bail or fees, by courier, cryptocurrency or a crypto ATM.
The truth: hang up and call your relative, or another family member, on the number you already have. A family code word settles it in seconds.
What happens at the machine
Whatever the story, the last hour looks the same. The scammer:
Keeps you on the phone from the moment you leave home, so nobody else can talk to you.
Tells you what to say at the bank. “It’s for a home repair.” “It’s for a car.” If bank staff
ask questions, that is them trying to protect you.
Picks the machine, often a specific one, and may send you to several, or bring you back over
several days.
Sends you a QR code by text or email. You hold it up to the kiosk’s scanner; it is the
address of the scammer’s wallet.
Keeps you going past the warnings. Licensed operators show scam warnings on the screen,
and some, Byte Federal among them, call older customers before a purchase to check. Scammers know this, so they warn
you in advance that the machine, the bank or the operator “will try to stop you”. That is the tell: the people
trying to stop you are the ones on your side. If a warning describes what is happening to you, believe it, and
if the operator asks whether someone sent you, tell them the truth.
Has you feed in cash, sometimes in several batches to stay under a limit.
When the crypto is sent, it goes straight into the scammer’s wallet, and it is often moved on quickly from there.
That is why the warning screens matter, and why a minute of checking before you
send is worth more than anything after.
It starts on the phone
The most common first contact is a phone call.
Stop the call and the scam never reaches a machine. How to screen and block scam
calls, with the free tools your carrier and your phone already have.
You can look up a number on Is This Number a Scam?, a free
list of numbers people have reported to the FTC. Caller ID can be faked, though: a number with no reports
doesn’t make the call safe. The request to pay at a crypto ATM is all you need to know.
PhoneShield and Is This Number a Scam? are made by Who Can It Be, LLC, a sister company of Byte Federal founded by members of its team.
Questions people ask
Is a bitcoin ATM scam different from a crypto ATM scam?
No. “Bitcoin ATM”, “crypto ATM”, “crypto kiosk” and “BTM” all mean a machine that takes cash and sends cryptocurrency to a wallet address. The scam is the same on every brand of machine.
Why do scammers want crypto instead of a check?
Scammers want any payment that is fast and hard to pull back: gift card numbers read over the phone, a bank wire, cash handed to a courier, gold, or crypto sent to their wallet. When one route is blocked or questioned, they name another. The crime is the lie on the phone; the payment method is whatever the scammer thinks will get past you, your bank and the operator.
The caller knew my name, address and the last digits of my Social Security number. Doesn’t that make it real?
No. Personal details are sold after data breaches, and scammers use them to sound official. Caller ID can be faked too. What gives the scam away is the request: no real agency or company asks you to pay at a crypto ATM.
They told me to scan a QR code at the machine. What is it?
The QR code is the scammer’s wallet address. Scanning it at the kiosk tells the machine to send your money to them. If you didn’t create the wallet yourself, don’t scan the code.
Are crypto ATMs illegal?
No. In most of the US they are legal and regulated: operators register with FinCEN as money services businesses, hold state money transmitter licenses, verify customers and warn them on screen. A kiosk is a tool the scammer tells you to use, like a gift card or a bank wire; the crime is the scammer’s.
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.
FCC: Caller ID spoofing (updated Nov 13, 2024) · Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the caller ID display; illegal under the Truth in Caller ID Act when done to defraud. Hang up and call the number on the agency’s or company’s own website.
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. “How crypto ATM scams work: the scripts and the red flags.” Updated November 8, 2026. https://cryptoatmscam.com/how-the-scam-works/