CONSUMER FIRST ALERT: Fox Valley woman warns of cryptocurrency ATM scam

(WBAY) — A Fox Valley woman is breaking her silence about a growing scam involving a cryptocurrency ATM.

In a Consumer First Alert, Beth explains how she hopes to save someone from an exploding crypto crime. She asked to use only her first name to protect her identity.

How the scam began

At her Fox Valley home, Beth said one phone call changed her life.

“I was so embarrassed. I was beyond consolable and didn’t want anybody to know. I kept it a secret,” Beth said.

Nearly a year later she’s exposing the elaborate scam.

“I need to make a difference. I need people to know that it happens to a lot of people and it happened to me. And I don’t want it to happen to you,” Beth said.

She explains how the scam started on her new computer.

“A box popped up, and it was from Microsoft Office saying there was a breach on my computer,” Beth said.

“So I called the number,” she said.

She was convinced it was a fraud investigator, who said they found pornography on her computer.

“It was so real, and ‘We’re here to help you.’ Here’s my ID number. They have everything in place that they need to make you think it’s real,” Beth said.

A Consumer First Alert about a growing scam involving cryptocurrency ATMs.

The elaborate scheme unfolds

Real and urgent. Following instructions, Beth got in her car and started driving.

“Go to the bank and withdraw money, stay on the phone with them, whatever you do don’t hang up,” Beth said.

“They said if they ask you why you’re withdrawing money, you tell them it’s for a renovation project,” she said.

With cash in hand and the scammer on the line, she was told to drive to a specific gas station to deposit the money in a special kind of ATM.

“Never saw a bitcoin machine before, had no idea,” Beth said.

Investigators say criminals use bitcoin or crypto kiosks for payments because often the transfer cannot be reversed.

“So I started putting the money in, and putting the money in…and putting money in,” Beth said.

After depositing cash, Beth believed the problem was resolved.

“I was on the phone with them for almost 4 hours. They don’t let you hang up,” Beth said.

Then the scammer made one more request.

“He said we need you to go to Home Depot and get $5,000 worth of gift cards,” Beth said.

The realization

Beth was at the checkout, waiting for a manager’s approval.

“And all of a sudden it hit me that was a scam,” Beth said.

“He was still on the phone with me, he was still in my pocket, and I looked at the clerk and said call the police,” Beth said. “I mouthed it to her, ‘Call the police.’”

“I was shaking. I was crying. I was inconsolable,” she said.

Growing problem in Wisconsin

Beth’s story highlights the growing pace of crypto ATM fraud. Her quick action to report it helped investigators track and recover some of her money.

But not everyone is so lucky.

According to FBI in Wisconsin in 2024, people lost more than $43 million, with crypto ATM involved scams increasing by 99% in one year.

“What we see is still a drop in the bucket compared to what’s out there,” said Michael Gavigan with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.

• RELATED LINK: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions Investment Scam Tracker

“Anytime someone comes to you urgent request and they’re asking you to do something with money, that’s a major red flag,” Gavigan said.

“In my mind the bitcoin machines are for nothing but scams, and I think they need to be gone,” Beth said.

Protection tips

Important tips to protect yourself from scammers:

• If someone’s on the phone and they won’t let you hang up, it’s a scam
• If they don’t want you to talk to anyone else, keep it a secret, that’s when you should stop and ask a trusted source

It’s important to empower victims to report so that investigators can track and stop the criminals behind the scams.

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