Deepak Gupta

Prize, fee, and payment tricks · Also called Bitcoin ATM scam, crypto kiosk scam, QR code payment scam, BTM scam

Crypto ATM and QR code payment scam

A crypto ATM scam is when a caller or online contact tells you to withdraw cash and feed it into a cryptocurrency ATM, often scanning a QR code they send you. They claim it will protect your money, pay a debt, or release a prize, but the cash goes straight to their wallet.

How it works

A caller or online contact poses as the government, your bank, a utility, a romantic partner, or a prize company.
They say your money is at risk, you owe a fine, or a fee is due, and they tell you to withdraw cash from your bank or retirement account.
They send a QR code for their crypto wallet and guide you, step by step, to a crypto ATM to deposit the cash.
Once the cash is converted and sent to their wallet it is very hard to trace or get back.

Red flags

Someone tells you to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin or crypto ATM.
You are sent a QR code and told to scan it at the machine to fill in the recipient.
The caller says the payment will protect your money, clear a fine, or release a prize.
The caller stays on the phone and gives step-by-step instructions while you withdraw cash or use the machine.

If you are targeted

Stop contact: hang up, and do not withdraw or deposit any more cash.
If the machine operator or your bank warns you the payment looks like fraud, stop or cancel the transaction.
If you already paid, contact the crypto ATM operator and your bank at once, and keep the receipts.
Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.

Where to report, by country

Prevention

For individuals

Know that the FTC says only scammers will tell you to withdraw cash and use a Bitcoin ATM to protect your money or fix a problem.
Never follow instructions from someone you have not met to scan a QR code and send payment at a crypto ATM.
Know that no real law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment through a crypto kiosk.

For organisations

Banks can watch for customers making large or first-time cash withdrawals while on the phone or unsure of the purpose, and pause to ask questions.
Crypto ATM operators can show clear scam warnings on screen and call customers whose deposits look like fraud.

By the numbers

Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.

Crypto ATM and kiosk fraud losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 (part of Losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025)	$389M	US, 2025, FBI IC3
Losses involving cryptocurrency reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 (overlaps other categories, never summed)	$11.37B	US, 2025, FBI IC3

Real cases

No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.

Delivered through: Voice phishing (vishing)

How official datasets classify it

Questions

Would a government agency or bank ask me to pay through a crypto ATM?: No. The FBI says no real law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment through a crypto kiosk, and the FTC says anyone who tells you to use one to protect your money is a scammer.
Can I get money back after depositing cash at a crypto ATM?: It is difficult, because the cash is converted and sent straight to the scammer's wallet. Contact the ATM operator and your bank immediately, keep the receipts, and report it quickly.