What are the red flags of this scam?

Anyone — government official, romantic partner met online, prize-winner notification, or bank employee — instructs you to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM • A QR code is provided for you to scan at the ATM machine — real government agencies and banks never send QR codes for payments • You are told not to tell your bank why you are withdrawing large sums, or to say it is for 'personal reasons' • The scammer says AUSTRAC, the AFP, the ATO, or the courts require you to move funds into crypto to 'protect' them or 'prove your innocence' • A romantic partner you met online asks you to invest in crypto via an ATM, or offers to teach you how to 'invest' by depositing cash this way • You are reassured the transaction is 'fully reversible' or 'insured' — crypto ATM transactions are not reversible

What should I do if this happened to me?

Stop immediately — no legitimate authority in Australia will ever instruct you to deposit money into a crypto ATM • If a caller claims to be from the AFP, ATO, AUSTRAC, or a court, hang up and call the agency yourself using a number from their official website — not one the caller provides • Contact your bank immediately if you have already made ATM deposits — report the scam and ask what recovery options exist (acting within hours maximises the chance of any recovery) • Call IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free expert identity and fraud counselling if you have shared personal details • Do not go to a crypto ATM at the instruction of anyone who contacted you first, for any reason • Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

CRITICAL crypto Last reported: 21 Oct 2026 Share

A phone call, romance contact, or "government officer" tells you to deposit cash into a crypto ATM

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A phone call, text, or dating match tells you to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM using the scammer's QR code. Funds go directly to an overseas wallet and cannot be recovered. Average victim loss in Australia: $165,000. AUSTRAC suspended 96 ATMs in August 2026.

A phone call, text, or dating match tells you to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM using the scammer's QR code. Funds go directly to an overseas wallet and cannot be recovered. Average victim loss in Australia: $165,000. AUSTRAC suspended 96 ATMs in August 2026.

Also known as: crypto ATM scam Australia, Bitcoin ATM fraud, cash to crypto scam, crypto kiosk scam, QR code cash deposit fraud

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Stop immediately — no legitimate authority in Australia will ever instruct you to deposit money into a crypto ATM
2 If a caller claims to be from the AFP, ATO, AUSTRAC, or a court, hang up and call the agency yourself using a number from their official website — not one the caller provides
3 Contact your bank immediately if you have already made ATM deposits — report the scam and ask what recovery options exist (acting within hours maximises the chance of any recovery)
4 Call IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free expert identity and fraud counselling if you have shared personal details
5 Do not go to a crypto ATM at the instruction of anyone who contacted you first, for any reason
6 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

Red flags

⚠ Anyone — government official, romantic partner met online, prize-winner notification, or bank employee — instructs you to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM
⚠ A QR code is provided for you to scan at the ATM machine — real government agencies and banks never send QR codes for payments
⚠ You are told not to tell your bank why you are withdrawing large sums, or to say it is for 'personal reasons'
⚠ The scammer says AUSTRAC, the AFP, the ATO, or the courts require you to move funds into crypto to 'protect' them or 'prove your innocence'
⚠ A romantic partner you met online asks you to invest in crypto via an ATM, or offers to teach you how to 'invest' by depositing cash this way
⚠ You are reassured the transaction is 'fully reversible' or 'insured' — crypto ATM transactions are not reversible

Known variants

Government impersonation variant: caller claims to be AFP, ATO, or AUSTRAC and says you must move your savings or investments into crypto via an ATM to 'protect' them from seizure or prove they are not criminal funds.

Last seen: 9/27/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources