DA Tucker Returns Funds to Crypto-ATM Scam Victims, Shares Cautionary Tales

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SALEM, Mass. – March 23, 2026 – On Friday afternoon, the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and local law enforcement partners returned approximately $20,000 to three victims of cryptocurrency ATM scams. The funds were seized following 2025 investigations by Essex County police departments, the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN), and investigators and attorneys in Tucker’s office.

In one scam, a Middleton woman was convinced to send more than $11,000 using a Bitcoin Depot ATM machine located in the Country Farm convenience store on Maple Street in Danvers. After she had difficulty logging in to her PayPal account, a fake customer service representative claiming to be with PayPal told her by phone that her account had been hacked and she would need to create a new one. The “rep” then convinced her that $19,000 had been fraudulently used from her account, and that if she sent in $10,000, they would “call it even.” Fortunately, Middleton Police Department Detective Adam Maccini got involved quickly and, via a search warrant, was able to retrieve the funds from the scammer’s digital crypto-wallet.

In another scam, a man in his 70s from Salem received an email stating that he needed to pay $450 to get rid of a virus on his computer. When the victim attempted to send $200, he was told that he had accidentally withdrawn $20,000 from the scammer’s account; the scammer, who had gained remote access to the victim’s computer, showed the victim a fake digital bank statement which indicated that his “bank account” now had an additional $20,000 in it. This convinced the victim that he needed to send money “back” to the other party, even though the $20,000 deposit didn’t exist. He deposited $4,400 into a crypto-ATM kiosk at the Pump ‘n Pantry gas station in Lynnfield. Lynnfield Police Department Detective Jared Provost then obtained a search warrant to claw back the money.

In a third scam, a man in his 60s from Andover was convinced to send a scammer approximately $12,000 via a Bitcoin Depot ATM machine at a Cumberland Farms in New Hampshire. While logged in to his Facebook account, the man had received a message saying that his account had been “compromised,” along with a phone number to call to fix the problem. Those who answered his call identified themselves as federal agents and threatened him with criminal charges. They also instructed him not to tell his wife or anyone else. In a state of fear and panic, he submitted to their demands but also took a photo of the crypto-ATM screen containing the crypto-wallet ID and transaction amount. Andover Police Department Detective Daniel Devine then obtained a search warrant to retrieve the funds.

On Friday, Tucker’s office and law enforcement partners were able to return a majority of the funds to all three of these victims. Since 2024, DA Tucker’s office has seized blockchain cryptocurrency valued at more than $160,000, almost all of which originated from fraud via crypto-ATM kiosks.

“Thanks to the quick thinking and diligent work of local police in Middleton, Lynnfield, and Andover, as well as our partners at NESPIN and several investigators and assistant district attorneys on our staff, these attempted scams were thwarted,” Tucker said. “Due to the decentralized nature of this technology and the rapid pace at which many companies collect cash, these outcomes are often, sadly, not possible.”

Tucker noted, “We are sharing these stories as cautionary tales. Folks continue to fall for scammers’ increasingly sophisticated techniques, and until we have regulatory legislation – which is currently before the legislature, and which I support – our best weapon in the fight against these fraudsters is a well-informed public. If someone you do not know asks you to send them money or engage in a Bitcoin or crypto-ATM transaction, please slow down and contact your local police department. There is a good chance that it may be a scam.”

In 2025 in Massachusetts, there were more than $1 billion in total cryptocurrency losses reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). It is estimated that more than half of those losses were tied to crypto-ATM kiosks, which are often located in convenience stores. Even in the rare instances when funds are recovered, fees, conversion rates, and tracing issues can make 100 percent restoration impossible, as was the case in the situations detailed above. According to Tucker, these scams tend to target seniors and are driven by a false sense of urgency, but everyone – from bank tellers to store clerks to bystanders – can play a role in suggesting that potential victims take a moment before withdrawing or depositing large sums of cash.

“If you see someone in a situation that you suspect might be a scam in process, please say something,” Tucker said. “Sometimes, all it takes is another human being saying, ‘Hold on, no legitimate entity would ask you to do what this unknown person is asking you to do.’”

The virtual currency kiosk regulation bills currently before the legislature are S.804 and H.1089.

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Michael Keefe-Feldman

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