Cryptomachine Owners Reimburse Fraud Victims $171,000

On average, each victim received $4,895, clarified the prosecutor's office, without specifying the number of rejected or unprocessed claims. Residents of Arizona were able to recover funds transferred to criminals thanks to the Cryptomachine Fraud Prevention Act. The law came into force on September 26, 2025.

The law establishes transaction limits for cryptomachine use. For new customers, the limit is no more than $2,000 per day, and for existing customers — $10,500 per day. A new customer is considered someone who has used the operator's services for less than 10 days. The law requires cryptomachine operators to use software to analyze suspicious transactions. The cryptomachine operator must reimburse the affected customer if they contact law enforcement within 30 days and state that the transaction was made to benefit fraudsters.

According to May data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, last year Arizona residents filed 460 complaints regarding cryptomachine fraud totaling $14.5 million. Across the entire United States, the FBI received 13,460 complaints — victims reported losses of nearly $389 million. This represents a 23% and 58% increase respectively compared to 2024. The FBI clarified: this refers not only to cryptomachine transactions but also to other payment methods. More than half of the complaints nationwide came from people over 50, who lost over $302 million.

On January 1, a law came into effect in Colorado imposing similar limits on the use of cryptomachines as in Arizona. In Colorado, a cryptomachine user can also expect a full refund if they report fraud within 60 days, and if the assets were sent to a cryptocurrency wallet or exchange outside the United States.

The authorities of Minnesota have completely banned the operation of cryptomachines. Operators are required to dismantle all devices by December 31. The ban took effect on August 1 and is explained by an increase in financial losses among local residents from fraudsters.