Sheriff uses power-cutting tool to recover funds from crypto ATM

Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard took a power-cutting tool to a local crypto ATM after a family was reportedly scammed out of $25,000. Harvard said the investigation began at about 5 p.m. on June 16, when his office was notified of the scamming incident.

Deputy Pulliam and Deputy Gray immediately responded to the victim’s home and began gathering information. Harvard said the officers discovered the family was scammed out of $25K at a location in Hardin County.

Crypto ATM scams surge in the U.S.

A scammer allegedly tricked a family in Jasper County, northwest of Houston, into depositing funds at a local Bitcoin ATM by impersonating a government employee. Pulliam immediately traveled to Hardin County and found the location.

With Hardin County S.O.’s assistance and Investigator Lampman’s assistance, the county sheriff secured a search warrant and cut open the ATM believed to be operated by Bitcoin Depot. Harvard said he recouped approximately $32,000, including the $25,000 the family paid the scammers. Although Jasper County S.O. seized the money, he revealed that they’re still trying to locate the scammers.

Harvard also noted that the scam caller told the family they owed $25,000 in fines and instructed them to deposit the money into a Bitcoin address, with the family then using the Bitcoin ATM to transfer the funds.

“When thieves, low-lifes and scammers attempt to take advantage of the citizens of Jasper County, we will work swiftly and utilize every resource at our disposal to protect our citizens and their property at all costs.”

-Chuck Havard, Sheriff at Jasper County.

He urged people to be vigilant to protect themselves from online scammers because the investigations can be complex and difficult to solve. The sheriff’s department has yet to locate the whereabouts of the scammer.

One Reddit user argued that the Sheriff’s move seemed like government employees destroyed an innocent third party’s property and stole the money. The user believes that cutting open the ATM made no sense unless it was the Kiosk owner who was scamming. He compared it to confiscating all the money from a CVS register after someone bought many gift cards to send to scammers.

The FBI reported in April that there were almost 11,000 complaints and over $246 million in losses associated with crypto ATM scams in 2024, a 31% increase from 2023. The entity also noted that scammers have been targeting the elderly, with two-thirds of the victims of crypto kiosk fraud being over 60.

The FBI revealed that most complaints about crypto ATM scams were received from California, Texas, and Florida. The agency’s director, Kash Patel, said that reporting is one of the first and most important steps in fighting crime, so law enforcement can use the information to combat various fraud and scams.

Spokane bans crypto ATMs

Spokane City Council acknowledged on Monday that it became the first city in Washington to ban digital asset ATMs following a unanimous vote. Council member Paul Dillon, who proposed the measure, said that crypto ATMs have become a preferred tool for scammers looking to defraud unsuspecting victims. 

Dillon believes the ban would protect vulnerable Spokane residents from scams involving virtual currency kiosks. He also hopes the measure will ban future ones, as well as remove existing kiosks, which he noted that many are located in poor neighborhoods, convenience stores, and grocery stores.

According to the ordinance, Spokane has seen a significant surge in scams arising from using crypto kiosks. The edict added that the kiosks provide a tool to protect consumers from those individuals who rely primarily on virtual currency to defraud others. The Spokane City Council said it will track progress and report on whether the ordinance has a measurable impact on the frequency of reported crimes involving crypto kiosks.

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