Massachusetts Senate-backed cryptocurrency kiosk ban remains pending in conference
Massachusetts residents should not expect cryptocurrency kiosks to disappear immediately. The Senate approved a proposed statewide ban as part of a broader economic-development package, but the measure has not become law.
The Senate passed its version of the package on July 23, 2026. The House non-concurred in the Senate amendment on July 30, the Senate insisted on its amendment, and both chambers appointed conference committees to negotiate. As of August 5, the package remained pending.
What the proposal would prohibit
The Senate-backed language would prohibit a virtual-currency kiosk operator from operating a kiosk in Massachusetts.
The proposed definition covers an electronic terminal that acts as an agent for an operator and facilitates exchanging virtual currency for money, bank credit or other virtual currency. It also covers a person or entity that owns, operates or manages a money-transmission kiosk in Massachusetts through which virtual-currency business activity is offered.
The proposal says it would take effect upon passage if enacted. The Senate vote alone, however, does not change the legal status or operation of kiosks already located in the state.
Potential lawsuits and forfeitures
The proposed law would treat operation of a covered kiosk as a violation of Chapter 93A, Massachusetts’ consumer-protection law.
That would authorize the attorney general to bring a Chapter 93A action against the kiosk operator. The attorney general also could sue the owner of the premises where a kiosk is located if the owner knowingly or intentionally permitted the kiosk to remain there.
If a court found that a person knowingly or intentionally operated one or more kiosks in violation of the proposed law, it could order additional remedies. Those remedies could include forfeiture of charges collected from kiosk users, forfeiture of Massachusetts-located kiosks owned by the violator and payment of the attorney general’s investigative costs.
The Massachusetts Senate said the amendment responds to scams in which older adults and other consumers are directed to use cryptocurrency kiosks to send money that is often difficult or impossible to recover.
FBI recorded 296 Massachusetts complaints in 2025
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data recorded 296 Massachusetts complaints involving cryptocurrency kiosks in 2025, with adjusted losses of $6,834,561.
The FBI cautions that the figure should not be described as losses caused exclusively by kiosks. The data includes complaints in which a cryptocurrency kiosk was used, but a complaint may also involve other types of transactions. The agency also says its statistics are an assessment taken at a point in time and may change as more information becomes available.
Nationally, the FBI recorded 13,460 cryptocurrency-kiosk complaints and adjusted losses of $388,981,267 in 2025. More than half of the complaints involved people over 50, and those complaints accounted for losses of more than $302 million.
How the scams typically work
In scenarios described by the FBI and reported by WBUR, a scammer may impersonate law enforcement, a government agency, a utility, a company representative or someone the victim knows. The scammer creates urgency, demands payment in cryptocurrency and gives detailed instructions for withdrawing cash and using a kiosk.
Victims may be told to scan a QR code supplied by the caller or online contact. Once cash is converted into cryptocurrency and sent to a digital wallet, recovering the money can be difficult.
The FBI lists several warning signs: an unsolicited request for cryptocurrency, an unexplained QR code, a large cash withdrawal, a person appearing confused or nervous at a kiosk, or someone remaining on the phone while making the transaction.
No legitimate government official or law-enforcement officer will call and demand payment through a cryptocurrency kiosk.
Massachusetts enforcement context
In February 2026, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell sued Bitcoin Depot and related entities, alleging that the company used misleading sales tactics, facilitated scams against Massachusetts consumers and refused to provide refunds to some victims.
The attorney general’s complaint also alleges that Bitcoin Depot added hidden fees and markups and that more than half of the company’s Massachusetts-based kiosk revenue during a specified period came from transactions the office identified as scam-related. Those claims are allegations in a civil lawsuit, not judicial findings.
The case provides enforcement context for the debate over whether to prohibit cryptocurrency kiosks rather than regulate their operation. It does not establish that every kiosk operator engages in unlawful conduct.
What happens next
Negotiators from the House and Senate must try to reach agreement on the broader economic-development package. The current legislative record shows that the House non-concurred in the Senate amendment on July 30, while the Senate insisted on its amendment and appointed a conference committee in concurrence with the House.
If the chambers agree on final language, both must approve the resulting legislation before it can go to the governor. The proposal would still need to be enacted before it could take effect. Until then, residents should not assume that existing kiosks are illegal or that operators must close.
Anyone who believes they were defrauded should preserve receipts, transaction IDs, wallet addresses, phone numbers, messages and the kiosk location. The FBI recommends filing a report with local police and submitting a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Older adults and family members helping with financial decisions should treat any urgent request to withdraw cash and use a cryptocurrency kiosk as a major fraud warning sign.
Sources
- Massachusetts Legislature: economic-development bill history
- FBI IC3: cryptocurrency-kiosk data by state
- WBUR: Crypto ATM scams in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Attorney General: Bitcoin Depot lawsuit
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