Cryptocurrency kiosk scams cost North Dakotans $7.7M in past year

On Dec. 9, 2025, AARP ND brought Jan Murtha with the ND Department of Financial Institutions and Francoise Cleveland, an AARP Government Affairs Director on the Financial Security and Livable Communities Team, to the table for a Crypto Scam Prevention Webinar.

AARP Crypto Fraud Handout 2025

Key Takeaways
Fraudulent activity targeting older Americans is on the rise. Cryptocurrency kiosks, also known as “crypto ATMs,” can be found in supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, bars, and restaurants.

• Crypto kiosks look like bank ATMs and are largely unregulated
• Criminals convince individuals that they must address an urgent financial matter, directing them to withdraw large amounts of cash from their banks. The individual then inserts that money into a crypto ATM via a digital QR code, and it’s transferred directly to the criminal.
• In 2024 the FBI received 149,686 complaints; $9.3 BILLION in losses were reported and the most impacted group was people age 60 and older.
• North Dakotans reported $7.7 million lost to cryptocurrency fraud in 2024
• Criminals steal an average of $40,092 from older victims of this crime
• In 2025, North Dakota became the second state in the nation to pass a cryptocurrency fraud protection law.

Take action and learn more about AARP’s fight to crack down on fraud at aarp.org/ndadvocacy