Victims Lost $1.2B from These Scams
By Hank Russell
A report recently released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that New York State is fourth in the number of cryptocurrency kiosk complaints and financial losses as a result of these scams.
According to the 2025 Annual Report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), New York State residents filed 45,255 IC3 complaints. California filed the most complaints with 116,414, followed by Texas (97,912) and Florida (71,843). Further, New Yorkers lost a collective $1,226,307,877 from these crypto scams. California lost the most at $3,674,716,305.
However, when broken down by population, the state goes further down the list. Based on the FBI data, there were 226.2 complaints per 100,000 residents. But New York went up to 10th after it was determined that losses were at $6,130,795 per 100,000 citizens.
New York is also fourth in the number of complaints made by those 17 and younger, with 539 in that age group, claiming they were victims of a cryptocurrency kiosk scam. Additionally, New York had the seventh-largest financial loss among the same age group, losing a total of $578,293.
The report also found that complainants ages 60 and over filed 8,537 complaints, which is fifth in the nation. Financial losses in this age group totaled $408,741,632, the fourth-highest nationwide.
Cryptocurrency kiosks are ATM-like devices or electronic terminals that allow users to exchange cash and cryptocurrency. Criminals may direct victims to send funds via cryptocurrency kiosks. According to IC3 data, the use of cryptocurrency kiosks to perpetrate fraudulent activity against the US population is increasing. In 2025, the IC3 received more than 13,400 complaints reporting the use of cryptocurrency kiosks, with losses over $388 million — a 23% increase in complaints and a 58% increase in losses from 2024. More than half of the complaints involved individuals over 50, with losses over $302 million.
In typical IC3 complaints involving cryptocurrency kiosks, criminals give detailed instructions to individuals, including how to withdraw cash from their bank, how to locate a kiosk, and how to deposit and send funds using the kiosk.
Some of the indicators of a cryptocurrency kiosk scam, according to the IC3, include:
- Individuals reporting unsolicited contact and conversations by email, social media applications, or phone with individuals offering services or requesting payments in cryptocurrency
- Individuals in possession of QR code documentation that they cannot explain or make themselves
- Individuals making large cash withdrawals, especially for the first time, and requesting currency in large bill denominations
- Individuals exhibiting confusion or nervous behavior when asked general questions about the purpose of a cash withdrawal, needing to pay a large expense in cash, or having a new financial advisor who requires cash
- Individuals taking large sums of cash to a location with a cryptocurrency kiosk
- Individuals talking on cell phones and exhibiting signs of confusion while making cash withdrawals from a financial institution or attempting to operate a cryptocurrency kiosk
- Individuals lingering at cryptocurrency kiosks and/or aiding individuals operating the kiosk
The FBI offers the following tips to protect yourself from these scams:
- Do not send payment to someone you have only spoken to online, even if you believe you have established a relationship with the individual.
- Do not follow instructions from someone you have never met to scan a QR code and send payment via a cryptocurrency kiosk.
- Do not respond to a caller who claims to be a representative of a company and who requests personal information or demands cryptocurrency. Contact the entity directly for verification.
- Do not respond to a caller from an unknown telephone number who identifies as a person you know and requests cryptocurrency.
- Practice caution when an entity states they can only accept cryptocurrency and identifies as the government, law enforcement, a legal office, or a utility company. No legitimate law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment via a cryptocurrency kiosk.
- If you are using a cryptocurrency kiosk and the kiosk operator calls you to explain that your transactions are consistent with fraud and advises you to stop sending money, you should stop or cancel the transaction.
- If you send funds via a cryptocurrency kiosk, be sure to keep any receipts or cryptocurrency transaction documentation.
If you believe you have been the victim a scam involving a cryptocurrency kiosk, in addition to filing police reports with your local police department, file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Please provide the following information, if available.
- The transaction ID (TXID), wallet address where funds were sent, and location of the cryptocurrency kiosk.
- Any information related to the subject, such as phone numbers, email addresses, domains, or aliases.
- A description of the scam.