NH Is a Target for Crypto ATM Scammers, but a Bipartisan Senate Bill Offers a Solution

New Hampshire has become a target for crypto ATM scammers for one clear reason: we have no transaction limits in place. From the perspective of law enforcement, this has made our state especially attractive to criminals who rely on speed, pressure, and unlimited access to drain victims’ savings. These criminals disproportionately target older adults, stealing on average $40,000 from them.

Scammers are strategic. They direct victims to states where they can extract the largest amounts of money. States with no limits are where they focus. That is why New Hampshire is being targeted right now. Senator Birdsell’s bipartisan, unanimously passed Senate version of SB482 would stop NH from being a target.

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Senator Birdsell’s version of SB482 reflects months of bipartisan work led by the NH Association of Chiefs of Police and AARP. It places New Hampshire squarely in the middle of crypto ATM policy nationwide. Twenty four states have already enacted laws for crypto ATMs, including Maine and Vermont. The Senate version is neither extreme nor experimental; it is a moderate, reasonable approach.

The bill establishes a daily transaction cap that is well above typical, lawful use. Industry data shows that most legitimate crypto ATM transactions are modest; for example, one major operator reported a median transaction of $350. A $2,000 daily limit allows normal, lawful activity to continue unchanged while preventing the catastrophic losses that police departments across New Hampshire are seeing with increasing frequency.

The Senate version would remove New Hampshire from the list of states that criminals target. When high dollar scams are no longer possible, criminals move elsewhere.

Police chiefs across the state describe crypto ATM scams as among the most damaging frauds they now encounter. Victims are manipulated by criminals posing as government officials, banks, or even law enforcement. They are told to act immediately, threatened with harmful consequences if they don’t comply, warned not to speak to anyone, and coached through the scam.

With no transaction limits, victims can be pressured into making repeated transactions for tens of thousands of dollars. By the time police are contacted, the funds have been converted to cryptocurrency and transferred into the criminal’s digital wallet. At that point, recovery is almost always impossible.

This is what distinguishes crypto ATM fraud from other scams. With gift cards or wire transfers, there is sometimes a chance to freeze, cancel, or reverse transactions. With crypto ATMs, once the transaction is completed, the money is gone.

In addition to a transaction limit, the Senate version provides a 14 day refund window. Police chiefs know that victims often take days or weeks to realize they have been scammed.