CRITICAL crypto
Is “told to scan a qr code at a bitcoin atm scam” a scam?
Yes — this is a known, dangerous scam.
A scammer pretending to be a government agent, tech support, or bank investigator says the only way to "protect" or "verify" your money is to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM at a gas station, convenience store, or supermarket. The QR code they send routes the cash directly to them.
How to tell
- ⚠ Caller stays on the phone with you the entire drive to and from the ATM
- ⚠ You are sent a QR code by text and told to scan it at the Bitcoin ATM
- ⚠ Caller emphasizes urgency ('the bank is closing in 20 minutes')
- ⚠ Caller instructs you to keep the action secret from family and bank tellers
What to do right now
- 1 Hang up. Stop. Call a trusted family member or your bank directly using the number on your card
- 2 No legitimate government, bank, utility, or investigator uses Bitcoin ATMs to receive payment. None
- 3 Bitcoin ATM transactions are typically irreversible — once cash is deposited and the QR is scanned, the money is gone
- 4 If you have started but haven't completed the deposit, walk away from the machine immediately
- 5 If you have already deposited cash, file at https://www.ic3.gov within 24 hours and call your local police. Some operators may be able to flag specific wallet addresses
- 6 If you installed any 'support' or 'server' or 'refund app' or remote-access app at the scammer's request (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, etc.), run free SeraphSecure (https://www.seraphsecure.com) to detect and remove it.
- 7 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Was remote-access software installed?
If a scammer asked you to install AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Quick Support, or any remote-access app, your device may still be compromised.
Run SeraphSecure to detect and remove it →Full guidance, red flags, variants & official sources
A caller instructs you to deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM →