Up next in 10
Scammers are using Bitcoin ATMs to swindle seniors out of their life savings. Authorities warn that these fraudsters often operate overseas and pressure victims to deposit cash into the machines. #BitcoinATM #ScamAlert #SeniorSafety #FraudPrevention
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
They look like regular bank ATMs, but
0:02
they actually convert cash into Bitcoin,
0:05
but authorities say savvy scammers have
0:07
found a way to use them to swindle
0:09
seniors out of their life savings.
0:11
Alison Hall investigates. This sweet old
0:14
lady is being scammed and she doesn't
0:16
even know it.
0:17
Ma'am,
0:18
can I talk to you for a second?
0:20
Please, I have to bank on the phone.
0:22
A cop tries to intervene, telling her to
0:24
hang up, but she's not convinced she's
0:27
being hoodwinkedked.
0:28
I'm in danger. Okay. No, you're not,
0:30
ma'am. Who is this?
0:31
This is the security.
0:32
No, you're not.
0:33
So, who's on the other end? Turns out
0:36
he's a scammer. And for the last two
0:38
days, police say he's been pressuring
0:40
85-year-old Fran Bates into sending him
0:43
money via this ATM.
0:45
And they kept saying, "Put the money in.
0:46
Put it in. Put it in."
0:47
You see, that isn't your typical ATM.
0:50
It's called a Bitcoin ATM, similar to
0:53
this. But instead of withdrawing cash,
0:55
you insert your money and buy Bitcoin.
0:58
But the FBI says scammers are taking
1:00
advantage of the machines, conning
1:02
seniors into depositing their savings
1:05
into Bitcoin ATMs across the country. So
1:08
where does the money go? Straight to the
1:10
scammers.
1:11
It doesn't matter who you are or where
1:13
you are. If you have a nickel or a dime
1:16
that they think they can get, they'll go
1:17
for it.
1:18
Luckily for Fran, this good Samaritan
1:20
stepped in and called the police.
1:22
She said, "You want $23,000?"
1:25
And Texas Lieutenant James Stewart
1:27
stopped it just in the nick of time.
1:30
Let me speak to the customer.
1:31
No, you're not going to speak to the
1:32
customer anymore.
1:33
Listen to me. She is not clicking on
1:36
anything.
1:37
He kept saying, "Press, I'm done." And
1:39
I'm telling her, "Don't press anything.
1:40
Just step away from the machine."
1:42
Thanks to him, they got all her money
1:44
back.
1:45
The only reason we were able to get the
1:47
money back is because she never
1:49
completed the transaction.
1:50
But most cases don't have a happy
1:52
ending. The FBI says Bitcoin ATM crooks
1:55
built Americans out of $240 million in
1:59
just the first half of 2025, including
2:03
this elderly woman.
2:04
Ma'am, listen to your police department.
2:06
We're here to help you.
2:07
She's convinced her scam caller is the
2:09
real deal.
2:10
They're scamming you out of your money.
2:12
Sir, this is absolutely legitimate.
2:15
So, she keeps feeding $100 bills into
2:18
the Bitcoin ATM.
2:20
No, no, no, no, no. Don't do that.
2:22
Finally, she's realized it's a hoax, but
2:24
it's too late.
2:26
How much money have you already sent to
2:28
them?
2:28
10,700.
2:30
Jesus Christ.
2:31
Inside Edition investigative producer
2:33
Katie Taylor spoke with the 80-year-old
2:35
woman outside the Ohio gas station where
2:38
it all unfolded. She was so embarrassed
2:41
she didn't want to show her face.
2:43
You had never heard of a Bitcoin machine
2:46
in your life.
2:47
I've heard of Bitcoin, but I don't
2:49
understand all that. I'm old.
2:51
She says the scammers told her they were
2:53
with the Federal Trade Commission and
2:55
her bank account had been compromised.
2:57
The only way to secure it, pay an
3:00
$11,000 fine.
3:02
What was it to you that was so
3:04
convincing?
3:05
They were transferring me to higher
3:08
levels of authority within the
3:10
government. I didn't want my whole life
3:13
to be compromised.
3:15
These fraudsters will not give up.
3:17
Westlake police captain Jerry Vogle says
3:19
his officers see these scams on a
3:22
monthly basis. Even in their small town,
3:25
these people who are committing these
3:27
types of acts are so good at what they
3:29
do. They can weave a story so well that
3:33
the person who's being victimized
3:35
becomes part of the story.
3:36
His advice, if you see something, say
3:39
something. So the clerk realized that
3:41
this older lady is probably in some
3:43
trouble. Probably putting money uh
3:46
giving money directly to scammers. So
3:47
she called the police department. She
3:48
did a great job.
3:49
We reunited the pair who plan to stay in
3:52
touch.
3:52
You didn't deserve that. Nobody does.
3:54
Fear just overtook my whole body.
3:56
They're scamming you out of your money.
3:58
Authorities say most of the scammers are
4:00
based overseas, adding that no
4:02
legitimate bank or organization will
4:04
ever demand payment using a Bitcoin ATM.
4:08
Meanwhile, Athena, a major Bitcoin ATM
4:11
company, says they have prominent fraud
4:12
warnings displayed on their machines.
4:19
[Music]
#Crime & Justice
#Law Enforcement
#Seniors & Retirement