{"id":15565,"date":"2026-02-01T10:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=15565"},"modified":"2026-02-01T10:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:00:23","slug":"scammers-are-draining-millions-from-wyomingites-using-crypto-atms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/scammers-are-draining-millions-from-wyomingites-using-crypto-atms\/","title":{"rendered":"Scammers Are Draining Millions From Wyomingites Using Crypto ATMs\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Headline article below) Cowboy State Daily keeps running these stories trying to demonize crypto ATMs, apparently for some laws they’re trying to pass, and we see the co-opted AARP involved. And they highlight that scammers can use other methods, and it’s really impaired people that probably shouldn’t be in charge of their finances that are the problem. Consequently, these ATMs are incredibly expensive to use, require phone, name and email, and seem to have a KYC camera if you convert a larger amount, and I think the limit was $12,500 a day with about a %10 fee for Bitcoin Depot ATMs. I’m not sure who this is marketed to really, as Bitcoin isn’t a great way to make darknet or illegal purchases, but perhaps people give false info to buy Bitcoin and convert it to Monero more anonymously? It could also be used to send money to family outside the country, though Western Union seems to have much lower fees. Perhaps this is for people without a credit or debit card who maybe burned their ability to have a bank account? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a honey pot to identify criminals along the line of the “secure” phone operation they ran to bust cartel operatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2026\/01\/31\/scammers-are-draining-millions-from-wyomingites-using-crypto-atms\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
Law enforcement across Wyoming say criminals are exploiting Crypto ATMs in scams that have stolen more than $4.6 million in just three of Wyoming\u2019s largest cities \u2014 $3 million of which was in Gillette alone.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By Ren\u00e9e Jean<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A Bitcoin Depot ATM in a Loaf ‘N Jug store on East Lincolnway in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Millions of dollars are flowing out of Wyoming into the pockets of Nigerian princes and other foreign con artists through an unassuming portal that looks a bit like a bank ATM but isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The portals are crypto ATMs, which have popped up in communities across Wyoming. AARP estimates that the Cowboy State has 45 Crypto ATMs in various locations of Wyoming and counting. Eleven of those are in Cheyenne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The machines can be used to buy cryptocurrency, as well as transfer cryptocurrency to other users around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The machines themselves are legal devices, but they have been co-opted by criminals, who have found in them the ideal, virtual getaway car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they\u2019ve convinced their victims to stash their cash in a designated cryptocurrency account owned by the scammer, they can instantly transfer that money through dozens of accounts, dividing and subdividing it, creating a virtual smokescreen that makes it nearly impossible to track without hours and hours of forensic accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, the con artists have gotten away with more than $4.6 million from Wyoming\u2019s three largest cities, $3 million of which was in Gillette alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That figure doesn\u2019t include all the other communities that might have a Crypto ATM, nor does it include frauds that were never reported to law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Gatekeepers <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The problem is not just confined to Gillette. It is statewide and is happening in communities from Sheridan in the north to Cheyenne in the south, and everywhere in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has become a newer method to get money from people in scams is to get them to direct the victim to a cryptocurrency ATM, \u201d Cheyenne Police Sgt. Kevin Malatesta told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cSo, in the past, maybe 10 years ago, when I first began working these kinds of cases, we would start to see victims being directed to use prepaid gift cards or do money orders.  And I think the scams themselves are pretty similar to what we\u2019ve seen over the last couple of years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s just the means of currency with which they\u2019re perpetrating these scams has shifted from gift cards or cash or checks to these Bitcoin ATMs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large part of the reason for that, Malatesta added, is that Bitcoin ATMs don\u2019t require a cashier or teller, both of whom have been trained to notice behavior that might suggest someone has become the victim of a scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oftentimes, the least little bit of questioning can help break people out of a panicked phase they\u2019re in, thinking a loved one is in danger and needs bail money or that they\u2019ve done something for which they themselves could be arrested, or any one of a dozen other scenarios that scam artists have crafted to convince people to send them money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Cheyenne, Malatesta estimated that Crypto ATMs were involved in at least $600,000 worth of scams in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor a lot of the victims of these scams, it\u2019s a long-term thing,\u201d Malatesta said. \u201cSo, they\u2019re giving money over the course of a couple of months, couple of weeks, or, in some cases, even a year or two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bitcoin
Bitcoin Depot has dozens of bitcoin ATMs across Wyoming. This one is in a Loaf ‘N Jug store on East Lincolnway in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Grandma\u2019s Savings Can\u2019t Be Chased To Jamaica<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, once a con artist has convinced someone to put their money into Bitcoin and send it to them, it becomes difficult to track, and even more difficult to claw back that money, Sheridan Police Officer Liz Shafer told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScammers use these methods because that money cannot be retrieved,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re having some success with cash that\u2019s been mailed, because we can intercept that. But if you put it into a crypto ATM, that money is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shafer has seen $1.5 million in losses over a two-year period through the fall of 2025. None of that money has been retrievable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGetting that money back, I have seen zero success stories on that front,\u201d she said. \u201cI mean because you put it into a wallet, which is a random string of letters and numbers, and the scammer is waiting for it, and they instantly move it to another one. They\u2019ll split it up from there and move it to another one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The money can eventually be tracked down, Shafer said. But the problem is, Shafer has no jurisdiction in a foreign country like, say Jamaica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t go there,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the FBI is so overwhelmed with these cases that the only ones they\u2019re really looking into have to total in the six figures. If someone lost $3,000, and it\u2019s a lady who is living on social security and a pension who cannot afford a $3,000 loss, I have to look her in the face and say, \u2018Look, I am so sorry that money is gone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shafer shares information on where these kinds of scams can be reported, including www.ic3.gov, reportfraud.ftc.gov, cftc.gov\/complaint, sec.gov\/tcr.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s also part of an ongoing campaign to educate her community about what these scams look like and how they operate, which she believes has helped raise awareness and prevent cases of this kind of fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it still feels hollow when she has to tell a victim that their less-than-six-figure \u2014 but still multi-thousand-dollar \u2014 loss is likely too small to generate any concrete action to attempt catching the thief, and that they will likely never see any of their money back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing anybody\u2019s really able to do about it,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce (the money) is out of the country, I\u2019m done. It doesn\u2019t matter how far I track it. I could track it all the way to the house it got withdrawn at (in Jamaica). I have no jurisdiction there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Shafer added, people should report the theft to law enforcement. That way, authorities can track what\u2019s happening in a community, and there\u2019s always the chance, however slim, that the case intersects with a larger one and some of the money can be seized and returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legislation Could Help Curtail Damage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Gillette, Police Detective Alan Stuber estimated the Gillette Police Department and the Campbell County Sheriff\u2019s Department together handle between 75 to 100 cases of fraud annually that involve the use of Bitcoin ATMs, for a roughly $3 million take in all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuber was not available for direct comment, but is among law enforcement officers who have been talking with lawmakers about some new rules for Crypto ATMs to try and curtail the harm these machines can do to any one person, and talked to lawmakers during a recent legislative preview session hosted by AARP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a limit on daily transactions, for example, would help ensure people can\u2019t lose thousands of dollars in a single day. Having clear messaging about what the fees for the transactions are could also help people understand that this might not be the best method for buying cryptocurrency anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campbell County Republican Ken Clouston, R-Gillette, plans to sponsor a bill that will require Crypto ATMs to adhere to rules set by the state banking division, including warnings on the machines themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuber told lawmakers most of the scams he\u2019s seen do follow tried-and-true scripts that con artists have been using for a long time now to convince people to give them their cash. But many of the con artists are smart about how they construct their plots, and it\u2019s easier than people think to get caught up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey make threats, whether it\u2019s a city bill, whether it\u2019s a warrant out for their arrest,\u201d Stuber said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re smart. They\u2019ll figure out, I mean our names are in the newspaper, so they\u2019ll use our names and say, \u2018Hey, this is Detective Stuber with the police department. You have a warrant out for your arrest, so we need this money right away.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They structure their calls in a way that\u2019s designed to induce panic and discourage questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ll often stay on the phone with their victim throughout the Crypto ATM transaction, as well, talking them through every step, keeping them upset emotionally, so that they don\u2019t stop to think things through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd it is people 60 and older, and it used to be gift cards,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we shot those down pretty hard in Gillette. Our stores are doing a lot better at not allowing people to buy thousands of dollars of gift cards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showing Up On The Doorstep<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The largest single scam Shafer has seen involving Bitcoin ATMs in the last two years was an overall $800,000 con that included several different approaches, including mailing some gold and silver bars for \u201csafekeeping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s mailed, we can sometimes intercept it, if we catch it fast enough,\u201d Shafer said. \u201cBut in a couple of instances, and this is where it gets really creepy, they\u2019ll send someone to your house to come and pick it up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the latter cases, the scammers even flew someone all the way to Wyoming for that purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, that\u2019s terrifying,\u201d Shafer said. \u201cAnd we were able to intercept one person. I can\u2019t talk anymore about that one (due to ongoing investigations), but somebody literally flew into Wyoming and came to the victim\u2019s house to get the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shafer has also seen cases where con artists went to great lengths to resume conversations with someone they\u2019d targeted, after relatives had discovered their activity and intervened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was a romance scam,\u201d Shafer said. \u201cAnd she had already sent them some money. So we went to talk to her, and I said (to the daughter), \u2018Look, you have to stop her. And the daughter was on top of it and was able to stop her mom from writing several checks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the mom\u2019s number was changed, she got two checks in the mail that, combined, totaled $900,000 as part of a scheme to recapture her attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen they contacted a local taxi company and said, \u2018We need you to drive to this woman\u2019s address, and we need you to hand her your phone so we can talk to her,\u201d Shafer said. \u201cBecause the daughter had blocked their number and gotten her a new number, so they just sent a taxi driver to this woman\u2019s house and said, \u2018Hand her your phone so we can speak to her.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s just one example of many that Shafer has seen where con artists take bold action to hook and keep their victims engaged \u2026 as long as the money continues to flow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Headline article below) Cowboy State Daily keeps running these stories trying to demonize crypto ATMs, apparently for some laws they’re trying to pass, and we see the co-opted AARP involved. And they highlight that scammers can use other methods, and it’s really impaired people that probably shouldn’t be in charge of their finances that are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","category-wyoming"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15565"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15567,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15565\/revisions\/15567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}