- It reported that about 10,000 people suffered losses of $333 million due to scams exploiting Bitcoin ATMs last year.
- It noted that over 30,000, about 81% of the world's Bitcoin ATMs, are installed in the United States, which could increase the risk of scam losses.
- It emphasized that the elderly are especially the main target of new methods such as AI and deepfakes.
- The article was summarized using an artificial intelligence-based language model.
- Due to the nature of the technology, key content in the text may be excluded or different from the facts.
Scams exploiting Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs surged last year.
On the 3rd (Korean time), Business Insider cited data from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and reported that about 10,000 people were victimized by AATM scams last year, with losses amounting to $333 million. This is nearly double compared to the previous year.
The FBI said scammers mainly impersonated banks or companies and induced victims to send funds via Bitcoin ATMs. Scammers called victims, claiming their accounts had been hacked, and tricked them into depositing funds at Bitcoin ATMs.
As of 2024, more than 30,000 Bitcoin ATMs are installed in the United States. This accounts for about 81% of the world's Bitcoin ATMs.
In particular, the elderly have become a major target of crimes exploiting Bitcoin ATMs. Victims aged 60 and over were reported to have suffered about $46 million in losses through Bitcoin ATMs. Scammers reportedly lured the elderly using artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes, and other methods.
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