Spokane, the second largest city in Washington state, has banned encrypted ATMs due to a surge in scam activity against local residents.
Spokane City Council explain On Monday, it became the first city in Washington to ban cryptocurrencies ATM Unanimous vote.
The measure was proposed by Council member Paul Dillon, who helped bring the ban, who said the cryptocurrency ATMS “has become the preferred tool for fraudsters who want to deceive unsuspecting victims,” the ban “will protect vulnerable Spokane residents from scams involving virtual currency kiosks.”
Di Long Tell A local newspaper spokesman commented that the measure “will ban future sales stores and remove existing kiosks. We see a lot in poor neighborhoods, convenience stores, grocery stores.”
according to Regulationsthe city of Spokane saw “a significant increase in scams caused by the use of cryptocurrency kiosks and the steady growth of victims lost thousands of dollars.”
The decree adds that it provides a tool to “protect consumers from those who rely primarily on virtual currencies to deceive others.”
Monitoring impact
Encrypted ATM operators have 60 days to delete dozens of kiosks across the city or face civil violations and commercial license revocation.
Spokane City Council said Tuesday it will track progress and report whether the ordinance has a measurable impact on the frequency of crimes involving crypto booths.
The hotbed of the liar
Police Detective Tim Schwering It is said that Tell the Council that he has seen many cases that “will enter these pavilions in China, North Korea, Russia and other places.”
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He said the criminal imitate Law enforcement officers or tax officials tell victims to buy cryptocurrencies in ATMs to protect their money or avoid jail.
“They are lying to people saying they need to transfer money to cryptocurrency to protect it,” Schwining said. “By the time that money goes into cryptocurrency, it’s too late.”
Crypto booth scams surge
FBI Report In April, nearly 11,000 complaints and more than $246 million in losses related to cryptocurrency ATM scams were up 31% from 2023.
The scammers have been positioning elderIt noted that it was two-thirds of the victims of crypto kiosk fraud, with the scam being over 60 years old.
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