Crypto ATM scams in Kansas and Missouri: what the FBI's 2025 data shows

Published 2026-10-19 · Updated 2026-10-19

The 2025 numbers for Kansas and Missouri

Source for every figure in this table: the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center's state-level kiosk table, alert I-051526-PSA, published May 15, 2026. The ranks and averages are our own arithmetic on that table, across the 50 states plus DC (51 jurisdictions). Tied values share a rank.

*The IC3 grand total includes U.S. territories and complaints marked "Other Country". The 50 states plus DC alone add up to 13,210 complaints and $382,498,818.

What stands out: Kansas has fewer complaints than Missouri, but the average Kansas complaint reports about $35,600 lost. That is roughly 23% above the national average and the 10th highest of 51. So fewer people report, but each one loses more. With only 117 complaints, a few very large losses can move that average a lot. (Our arithmetic on the IC3 table.)

Download the full 50-state table with our ranks: ic3-kiosk-2025-by-state.csv (copied from the FBI table on 2026-10-19; source URL is in every row).

Read these numbers carefully

• These are complaints, not all victims. They only count people who filed with IC3. Many victims never report.
• The losses are not all kiosk money. The FBI says a complaint counts if a kiosk was used at any point in the scam. The complaint "may also include other types of transactions," so losses "cannot be solely attributed to cryptocurrency kiosks." (IC3)
• The figures can change. IC3 calls its statistics "an assessment taken at a point in time" that may change after further analysis. (IC3)
• State means where the complainant lives. The FBI table does not say where the kiosk was. A Kansas resident may well have used a Missouri machine, or the reverse. [Uncertain: IC3 does not document how it assigns a complaint to a state; we assume it uses the complainant's location.]

The national picture

• In 2025 IC3 received more than 13,400 complaints involving crypto kiosks, with losses over $388 million. That is a 23% increase in complaints and a 58% increase in losses from 2024. (IC3)
• "More than half of the complaints involved individuals over 50, with losses over $302 million." (IC3)
• Across all crypto-related complaints, not just kiosks, the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report counted 181,565 complaints totaling more than $11 billion. (FBI, Apr 6, 2026)

How a crypto ATM scam usually works

The FBI says criminals give "detailed instructions" to victims: how to withdraw cash from the bank, how to find a kiosk, and how to deposit and send the money. (IC3) Recently reported cases follow that pattern:

• Fake warrant (Wichita area). A caller posing as law enforcement or a court official told a Sedgwick County resident there was a warrant for her arrest and that she could avoid it with an immediate payment through a crypto ATM. (Sedgwick County DA, Sep 9, 2026)
• Fake Apple support. A pop-up that looked like it came from Apple led a woman to call a number. The call ended with her withdrawing more than $20,000 and driving 90 minutes to a crypto ATM while the scammer stayed on the phone. (KMBC, Oct 1, 2026)
• A store clerk stepped in (Liberty, Mo.). A store employee stopped a man who was on the phone and about to deposit thousands of dollars, and called police. (KMBC, Oct 1, 2026)

Red flags the FBI lists

• Unsolicited contact by email, social media or phone from someone offering services or asking to be paid in crypto.
• A QR code you were given and cannot explain.
• Large cash withdrawals, especially a first one, often in large bills.
• Being on the phone and confused while at the bank or the kiosk.
• Someone who says they are the government, police, a legal office or a utility and accepts only crypto. "No legitimate law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment via a cryptocurrency kiosk."

(All from IC3 I-051526-PSA.)

Kansas: the new kiosk law (in effect July 1, 2026)

Kansas HB 2591, the Virtual Currency Kiosk Consumer Protection Act, took effect July 1, 2026. (Kansas OSBC) Under Section 11 of the enacted law (2026 Session Laws ch. 102):

• 72-hour hold. Operators must hold the money or crypto for 72 hours on any transaction made within 14 days of a person's first transaction.
• Limits for new customers. Up to $1,000 on the first transaction. During the first 14 days: up to $1,000 a day, only one transaction in the 72 hours after the first, and no more than $10,000 in total. After 14 days: up to $10,500 a day.
• Refund of the first transaction, for any reason, if you ask during the 72-hour hold.
• Fraud refunds. For a first transaction, or any transaction within 14 days of it, the operator must refund the full amount plus fees if you meet two conditions. First, you report the fraud to the State Bank Commissioner, the Attorney General or law enforcement within 30 calendar days of the last fraudulent transaction. Second, you give the operator a police report or a sworn declaration.
• Existing customers who report fraud the same way can get back only the fees and spread, not the principal.
• Refund timing. Refunds are due within 10 business days, by cash, ACH or paper check. (OSBC statute text)
• Fee cap. Total charges, including the price spread, are capped at the greater of $5 or 18% of the transaction. (Sec. 10, ch. 102)

It has already worked once. In the Wichita warrant case, the operator first offered a refund only in crypto. After the DA's Consumer Protection Division sent the operator the complaint under HB 2591, the operator refunded her by check. (Sedgwick County DA)

Enforcement, Oct 8, 2026. Kansas joined 33 other state regulators in a $2.5 million settlement with kiosk operator Coinme over Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money-laundering violations. Coinme agreed to end its kiosk operations by Jan 1, 2027, or pay another $4 million. Kansas's share is $30,002, which goes to consumer education. (Kansas OSBC, Oct 8, 2026)

Missouri: warnings and licensing, but no dollar cap

• Since Aug 28, 2025, Missouri treats kiosk operators as money transmitters that need a license. (Missouri Division of Finance)
• RSMo 361.1100 requires a warning before every transaction. It asks whether you got a call from "your bank, software provider, the police," or were told to pay "warrants, or bail money at this kiosk," and says "STOP." It also requires blockchain analytics to screen wallets known to be tied to fraud, and live customer service Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. (RSMo 361.1100)
• We found no transaction limit, holding period or fraud-refund rule in RSMo 361.1100 as published. A 2026 bill, HB 3043, would have set daily limits of $2,000 for new customers and $10,500 for existing ones. Its last recorded action was a committee referral on May 15, 2026. (BillTrack50) [Uncertain: checked via a bill tracker, not the Missouri House site. Confirm the bill's final status at house.mo.gov.]
• On May 20, 2026, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway sued CoinFlip (GPD Holdings LLC) in Jasper County. The suit alleges CoinFlip knowingly facilitated scam transactions and charged excessive fees at its more than 140 Missouri kiosks. It seeks civil penalties of up to $1,826,000 and restitution. The AG's office also cites state intelligence-center data: 350 crypto cases involving a crypto ATM over two years. (Missouri AG) These are allegations; the case was not resolved as of the AG's release.

What to do

If someone is on the phone telling you to go to a crypto ATM

1. Hang up. Then call the agency or company yourself, using a number from its official website or your card, not one the caller gave you. (IC3; Sedgwick County DA)
2. If the kiosk operator calls and says your transaction looks like fraud, stop or cancel it. (IC3)

If you already sent money

1. Move fast. In Kansas, the fraud-refund clock is 30 calendar days from the last fraudulent transaction. (HB 2591 §11)
2. Keep everything: receipts, the transaction ID (TXID), the wallet address, and the kiosk's location. (IC3)
3. File reports: local police and ic3.gov. Kansans can also file with the State Bank Commissioner (osbckansas.gov). Missourians can file with the AG at ago.mo.gov. (Missouri AG)
4. Kansas: contact the kiosk operator and ask for a refund under HB 2591. Include the police report or a sworn declaration. If the operator refuses, tell the OSBC or your county DA's consumer protection office.
5. Ignore anyone who offers to "recover" your crypto for a fee. The FBI warns those offers are often a second scam. (FBI)

Sources

1. FBI IC3, "IC3 Cryptocurrency Kiosk Complaint Data By State," I-051526-PSA, May 15, 2026. https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260515-2 (read 2026-10-19)
2. FBI, "Cryptocurrency and AI Scams Bilk Americans of Billions," Apr 6, 2026. fbi.gov (read 2026-10-19)
3. Kansas Secretary of State, 2026 Session Laws, Chapter 102 (HB 2591). sos.ks.gov
4. Kansas OSBC, Virtual Currency Kiosk Consumer Protection Act (statute text). osbckansas.gov/legal/vc_kiosk_cpa.pdf
5. Kansas OSBC, "Virtual Currency Kiosk Consumer Protection Act – Effective Date: July 1, 2026," Jul 6, 2026. osbckansas.gov (read 2026-10-19)
6. Kansas OSBC, "Kansas Joins $2.5 Million Settlement with Crypto Kiosk Operator," Oct 8, 2026. osbckansas.gov (read 2026-10-19)
7. Sedgwick County District Attorney, "New Consumer Protection Law Helps Scam Victim Recover Money Lost to Cryptocurrency ATM," Sep 9, 2026. sedgwickcounty.org (read 2026-10-19)
8. KMBC, "Before you put money in a crypto ATM, know this scam warning," updated Oct 1, 2026. kmbc.com (read 2026-10-19)
9. Revised Statutes of Missouri §361.1100 (eff. Aug 28, 2025). revisor.mo.gov (read 2026-10-19)
10. Missouri Division of Finance, "Virtual Currency Kiosk Operators." finance.mo.gov
11. BillTrack50, MO HB3043 (2026). billtrack50.com (read 2026-10-19; secondary source)
12. Missouri Attorney General, "Attorney General Hanaway Files Suit Against Crypto ATM Network For Enabling Scams," May 20, 2026. ago.mo.gov (read 2026-10-19)
13. FBI, "Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud." fbi.gov

Changelog

• 2026-10-19: First published. Every source above was read on this date.