A fake security pop-up on a home computer turned into a four-hour phone call and a trip to a gas station bitcoin kiosk for a Wisconsin woman named Beth. The person on the other end posed as a fraud investigator, walked her through withdrawing cash, and told her to tell bank staff it was for a renovation. The scam only ended when the caller demanded $5,000 in Home Depot gift cards and she finally realized what was happening at a store checkout, where a clerk called police. Some of her money was recovered.
The FBI says this kind of fraud is climbing hard. Americans lost over $388 million to crypto ATM scams in 2025, a 58% jump from the prior year, and Wisconsin victims alone lost more than $43 million in 2024. Crypto kiosk transfers are fast and difficult to reverse, which is exactly why scammers steer people toward them instead of a normal bank transfer.
The warning signs are consistent. A real bank, law enforcement agency or tech company will not keep you on the phone for hours, will not tell you to lie to your own bank, and will never ask you to keep an urgent money request secret. If any of that happens, hang up and call police or a trusted family member. Quick reporting gives investigators a real chance to trace the funds, and for people along the Suncoast, that call can happen before the cash ever leaves your account.
Have you ever gotten a pop-up like the one that started this whole thing? Tell us in the comments.
