Minnesota Bans Crypto ATMs After Scammers Took Nearly $1 Million

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 21

Minnesota will ban crypto ATMs starting Aug. 1, 2026, and operators must remove publicly accessible machines by year-end.
134 complaints from 2023 to 2025 and nearly $1 million in reported losses drove the move, including 70 cases and more than $540,000 lost in 2025 alone.
State officials said earlier safeguards such as warnings and limits failed because scammers kept victims on the phone, coached them through kiosk screens and pushed cash-to-crypto transfers that are hard to reverse.
FBI data show the problem extends nationwide: more than 13,400 crypto-kiosk complaints in 2025 produced over $388 million in losses, with people over 50 accounting for more than $302 million.
Minnesota will still allow regulated online crypto trading, but the kiosk ban could become a model for other states weighing whether removing a fast payment channel can curb scam losses.