FBI: Bitcoin ATMs Rob Americans of $330M – A Moral Crisis 🕵️‍♂️💸

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), that ever-watchful sentinel of justice, has sounded the alarm: a veritable deluge of cryptocurrency scams, with Bitcoin ATMs now serving as the preferred instruments of the damned. Behold, the modern-day siren song of greed, luring the desperate and the gullible into the abyss of digital despair. 🧠💸

Crypto Requests Now Top Choice For Criminals

According to a report from ABC News, the FBI’s latest missive reveals a “clear and constant rise” in fraudulent transactions connected to these cursed kiosks-a trend the bureau deems “not slowing down.” One might ask, what is the soul of a man when he trades his dignity for a fleeting illusion of wealth? 🕊️

In 2024, scammers wrought approximately $250 million in losses, a figure that doubled the previous year’s tally. By November 2025, the sum had surged to $333.5 million. A testament to humanity’s insatiable hunger for easy riches, even as it devours itself. 🐍

There are over 45,000 Bitcoin ATMs across the US, each a portal to chaos, allowing users to convert cash into crypto and send it to wallets globally. Yet once the money is sent, recovery is as futile as a prayer to a deaf god. A perfect tool for the unrepentant. 🧨

“Requesting crypto is now the No. 1 preferred method of criminals,” declared Amy Nofziger, a director of fraud victim support at AARP. “It is a huge problem.” A problem, indeed-a moral quagmire where the line between savior and scoundrel blurs like a shadow at dusk. 🌑

Law enforcement, that weary guardian of order, has taken notice. In September, the attorney general’s office in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against Athena Bitcoin, a major provider of these machines. The suit alleges the company pocketed “hundreds of thousands of dollars in undisclosed fees on the backs of scam victims.” A tale as old as time, yet no less tragic. 📜

The company, ever the sophist, claims it implements “robust safeguards against fraud.” But what is a safeguard against the human heart’s labyrinthine folly? “Just as a bank isn’t held responsible if someone willingly sends funds to someone else,” they argue, “Athena does not control users’ decisions.” A convenient lie, worthy of the devil himself. 🙃

17 States Move To Regulate Or Ban Bitcoin ATMs 

In response to the rising tide of scams, AARP has called for stricter regulations, suggesting measures such as daily deposit caps to protect consumers. A noble but futile attempt to chain the chaos. 🛑

At least 17 states have enacted legislation to regulate these machines, while some local governments have moved toward banning them entirely. A desperate gambit, as if mere laws could tame the beast of greed. 🐉

New Jersey state Senator Paul Moriarty, who sponsored a bill to prohibit Bitcoin ATMs, declared them “nothing more than conduits for fraud and criminal activity. Period.” A truth so stark it cuts like a blade. 🗡️

In defense of their operations, companies like Bitcoin Depot claim that while scams do occur, they represent only a small portion of overall transactions. A comforting lie, like a lullaby for the innocent. 🎶

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $88,613, marking a slight gain of 1.5

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2025-12-31 07:14