Australian federal police said it has contacted more than 90 Australians as part of criminal use to crack down on cryptocurrency ATMs, which include massacre victims and suspected offenders.
One of the victims, a 77-year-old widow, was scammed in $433,000 ($281,947) in an online dating scam by Australian financial intelligence agencies. explain Wednesday.
Australian Public Broadcasting Corporation ABC Report The widow didn’t realize that the Belgian man she had been dating online for two years was a fraud until the police showed up at her doorstep.
“Half-day work” sends fraudster cash
The victim said the scammer she encountered on the dating app encouraged her to invest in Bitcoin (BTC) claimed he made $13,000 ($8,464) in a week, by showing her fake documents.
For her first deal, the scammer reportedly spoke to her, a process involving withdrawing money from a regular ATM and then passing Bitcoin ATM. She gave her life savings in just 18 months.
The victim told ABC that she had delayed about $20,000 in AUD ($13,023) in cash at one point, adding that the transfer often took “half-day work” and that she “used Bitcoin ATM very professionally.”
“The worst part is having to tell my daughter that I actually saved, it took me 40 years to make money, it took 18 months to get it.”
“The task force identified another woman from her 70s and she saw what she thought was a legal ad for a trading company that provided a considerable ROI. She lost more than $200,000,” said Brendan Thomas, CEO of Ostarak.
Police accused one of them, proposing formal caution to others
During the crackdown, Australian police targeted top users of crypto ATMs, who were identified as high risk of being used for illegal activities or scams.
The police contacted 21 people in particular, especially victims of alleged scams related to cryptocurrency ATMs, or allegedly involved in illegal activities related to machines.
“We suspect that a large number of crypto ATM transactions may be illegal, but it is disturbing that our law enforcement partners have found that almost all of the transactions we mentioned involve victims rather than criminals,” Thomas said.
One was charged with real estate crimes, while four others issued a formal warning for suspected they were using cryptocurrencies or money as criminals.
However, some of the suspicious mums are victims of scams, who either unknowingly assist the criminals or intentionally transfer funds to recover the stolen money. AFP said some people do not want to admit that cybercriminals have deceived them.
The latest crackdown follows Australia Introduce new operating rules and transaction restrictions For the crypto ATM operator on June 3, to combat scams. Last December, The agency also marked cryptocurrency As a priority for 2025.
Promise for fake encryption
AFP Commander Graeme Marshall explain Scam victims were manipulated to pass fake breeding of cryptocurrencies, said in a statement Love, employment, investment commitmentor make quick profits.
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“If you guarantee your profits to be fast, if there is a high pressure deadline or a sense of urgency, and if you have never seen the person before, stop contacting and report immediately.”
“We need to convey the message there: If someone, business or government agency asks you to pay in cryptocurrency, please do not send money.”
ReportCyber, Australia’s online cybercrime reporting system, has received 150 unique reports on scams involving cryptocurrencies between January 2024 and January 2025 according to To AFP, the loss was more than $3.1 million ($2 million).
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