Public Safety · Outagamie County
Crypto ATM Scam Warning as Wisconsin Losses Rise 99%
A Fox Valley, Wisconsin woman identified as Beth described how a fake Microsoft Office pop-up led her to withdraw cash and deposit it at a bitcoin kiosk before she realized the scam at a Home Depot checkout. Sgt. Sheldon Pedranzan of the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office said victims sometimes refuse to listen even when uniformed officers try to intervene at crypto ATMs. FBI data for Wisconsin shows residents lost more than $43 million in 2024, with crypto ATM-related scams rising 99% year over year; nationally, Americans lost over $388 million in 2025. Michael Gavigan of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions warned that any urgent request to move money is a major red flag.