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The FBI has revealed that Bitcoin ATM fraud reached new highs in 2025. According to the report, scammers stole close to $33 million from victims. The FBI noted that in most cases, scammers impersonated either a company or a bank to carry out their illicit activities. The FBI claimed that some bad actors went as far as calling their victims and advising them to deposit money into a Bitcoin ATM to protect their funds. The criminals would tell them that their accounts have been compromised, riding on the panic to push them into sending the funds via a Bitcoin ATM for safekeeping. Instead, the money goes to a wallet or account maintained by the hacker or another person in their network. Bitcoin ATMs increased in popularity in the United States, with more than 30,000 machines in the United States in 2024. The figure represents 81.27% of the total Bitcoin ATMs in the world, according to Finance Magnates. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) mentioned that more than 10,000 people were victims of Bitcoin ATM fraud in 2025 alone. The agency mentioned that there were over 12,000 complaints from January to December in 2025. In its statement, the FBI also mentioned that the monetary value lost to criminals reached $333.5 million, an increase compared to the same time span last year. The FTC has urged people to be cautious when transacting with Bitcoin ATMs. They have advised double-checking with their financial officer or banks if contacted by someone they do not know to deposit funds in a Bitcoin ATM. They also advised individuals to slow down and not allow the other person at the end of the line to rush them into payments, and to discuss things with people around them before paying. Bitcoin has been one of the few instruments used to carry out fraud, with criminals choosing to use the asset because of its privacy-focused transactions. The FTC has warned that government agencies and legitimate businesses will not contact users to demand payments in Bitcoin. Unless stated otherwise, users should not pay for any service or goods using Bitcoin ATMs. If someone is hounding them, they should report to the police. While fraud affects various demographics, scammers have been targeting older generations more, according to the data. Victims aged 60 and above accounted for 7% of the reported losses using Bitcoin ATMs during the first half of 2024, losing $46 million, according to the FTC. In some cases, criminals used AI deepfakes of a family member to coerce payment.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
