Crypto Scams in Texas: Where to Report and Get Help

How big are crypto scams in Texas?

Bigger than almost anywhere. The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, released in April 2026, ranks Texas second in the country behind California on every headline measure. Texans filed 97,912 complaints of all kinds and reported $1,825,636,181 in losses. Of those, 13,965 complaints involved cryptocurrency, with $1,016,062,841 lost. So more than half of every dollar Texans reported losing to online crime in 2025 had a crypto link.

Older Texans carry a heavy share. People 60 and over in Texas filed 14,410 complaints and reported $678,564,081 in losses across all crime types, third behind California and Florida.

Then there are the machines. In a 15 May 2026 state-by-state alert, the FBI counted 1,179 Texas complaints involving cryptocurrency kiosks, often called Bitcoin ATMs, with $56,802,197 in adjusted losses. That's the highest loss total of any state. Florida filed slightly more kiosk complaints, 1,213, but reported about $32.8 million. The FBI notes these complaints can include other payment types too, so not every dollar went through a kiosk.

These are reported losses only. Most people never file, so the real numbers are higher.

Where to report a crypto scam in Texas

No single office handles everything, which is why so many Texans give up after one phone call. Each place below does a different job. Report to more than one.

Do them in this order. Our first 24 hours plan covers the same day in more detail.

1. Stop paying, and call your bank. No "release fee," no "tax," no last deposit. Ask the bank to flag the transfers and block anything still pending.
2. File at ic3.gov. Include the wallet address you sent to, the transaction ID, the kiosk location, every phone number and website, and screenshots. Our guide to how to report a crypto scam walks through the form.
3. Make a police report. The FBI's kiosk alert tells victims to file with local police as well as IC3. Ask for the report number.
4. File with the right Texas agency. An investment pitch goes to the Securities Board. A fake company, fake support line or other scam goes to the Attorney General. When in doubt, file with both.
5. Keep every receipt. Kiosk receipts show the wallet address and transaction ID. Investigators need them.
6. Expect a second scam. Strangers who offer to get the money back for a fee are running one. Our recovery scam guide shows how they work.

Two details worth knowing before you file. The Attorney General's office says complaints are open to the public under Texas law, so leave out account numbers and your Social Security number. It also says complaints are reviewed for information and you may not hear back, so don't treat it as your only report. Texans 60 and over who need help filing with IC3 can call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).

The crypto scams Texans report most

The FBI's state numbers don't break Texas down by scam type, but the national report, the state's regulators and local reporting point to the same four.

• The fake officer and the Bitcoin ATM. A caller says he's with a sheriff's office, the police or a court. There's a warrant, or a missed jury summons, and you can clear it by paying today at a kiosk. The Texas Tribune reported in July 2026 on a 72-year-old Austin woman sent fake court documents, supposedly from the Travis County Sheriff's Office, who was stopped at the machine. Our police warrant scam guide has the full script.
• The investment friend. A wrong-number text or a dating match becomes a friendship, then a trading app with fake profits and a "tax" to withdraw. Our pig butchering guide covers all five stages. Nationally it was the costliest scam the FBI saw in 2025.
• The tech support or bank fraud call. A pop-up or a caller says your account is hacked. To "protect" it, you withdraw cash and feed it into a kiosk. Our call scripts guide gives the opening lines word for word.
• The crypto "income" group. These spread through churches, families and group chats with promises of monthly income. In June 2026 the Texas State Securities Board entered an emergency cease and desist order against BG Wealth Sharing LTD and its affiliated trading platform, DSJ Exchange, over an alleged crypto investment and multi-level marketing scheme. According to the order, promoters falsely claimed SEC approval, dashboards showed profits that didn't reflect real account values, and investors who couldn't withdraw were told to pay a 12% "exit tax" or "compliance fee."

That last detail matters well beyond one case. A withdrawal fee shows up at the end of nearly every crypto investment scam. Real taxes go to the IRS, from you, at tax time.

Why Bitcoin ATM scams hit Texas so hard

Part of the answer is simple. Texas is big, and kiosks sit in gas stations and convenience stores across it. The other part is that, as of this fall, nobody in state government licenses most of what those machines do.

In testimony to the Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee on 24 June 2026, the Texas Department of Banking said it "does not regulate two party transactions involving the exchange of fiat currency for non-stablecoin virtual currency." Cash in, Bitcoin out, is exactly that. Unless the machine handles a stablecoin or involves a third party, the department said, the sale falls outside the state's money transmission law.

The department also told senators that two bills to regulate virtual currency kiosks were filed in the 2025 session, and "neither bill was ultimately enacted." So Texas has no state daily limit on kiosk deposits, no state fee cap and no state refund rule for scam victims. The department said it would be ready to supervise kiosks if a similar bill passes in the 2027 session.

What that means for you is practical. The only thing between a frightened Texan and the machine is often a store clerk, a bank teller or a family member. Talk to the older people in your life now. Our guide to protecting your parents from crypto scams has a script for that conversation, and our Bitcoin ATM refund guide covers what to ask the kiosk operator for after a loss.

Prefer to watch? How Bitcoin ATM scams work, in under a minute.

Check a crypto offer in Texas before you send anything

Reporting matters, but most losses never come back. These checks take less time than a phone call with a scammer.

1. Look up the seller. Anyone selling you an investment in Texas, crypto included, generally has to be registered or exempt. Search the person and the firm on the Securities Board's site, the SEC's Investor.gov and FINRA BrokerCheck. No record is a reason to stop.
2. Search the platform's name with "scam" and "cease and desist." The Securities Board posts its enforcement orders online, and so do other states' regulators.
3. Hang up and call back on a number you find yourself. Use the number on your card, a bank statement or the agency's official site (type the address yourself), never the number in a text, and never one you found by searching words the caller gave you.
4. Ask one question: can I withdraw today, for free? A fee to get your own money out ends the conversation.
5. Tell someone before you pay. Every one of these scams asks for secrecy, because a second person usually stops it.

Not sure whether a site, a message or an offer is a scam? Our is this a scam? quiz takes a minute, and the Scams hub has every guide in one place.

Crypto scams in Texas FAQ

Where do I report a crypto scam in Texas?

Start with the FBI at ic3.gov and your local police or sheriff. Then file with the Texas Attorney General's consumer complaint form for scams, or the Texas State Securities Board for investment offers and trading platforms. Call your bank and the exchange you used the same day.

How much did Texans lose to crypto scams in 2025?

Texans reported $1,016,062,841 in losses in crypto-related complaints to the FBI in 2025, second only to California. Losses in scams involving crypto kiosks were $56.8 million, the most of any state. These are reported losses, so the true total is higher.

Does Texas regulate Bitcoin ATMs?

Mostly no. The Texas Department of Banking told state senators in June 2026 that it does not regulate two-party cash-for-Bitcoin sales, and that neither kiosk bill filed in 2025 was enacted. A machine that handles stablecoins or a third party can fall under state money transmission law.

Will the Texas Attorney General get my crypto back?

Usually not on its own. The Attorney General's office says complaints are reviewed for information to monitor scams across Texas, and you may not be contacted again. File it, but also report to IC3, your police department and your bank, which are the places that can act quickly.

Who handles crypto investment fraud in Texas?

The Texas State Securities Board handles investment offers, including crypto trading platforms and promoters. It can issue emergency cease and desist orders, as it did in June 2026 against an alleged crypto pyramid scheme. You can email complaints@ssb.texas.gov or call (512) 305-8300.

Can a Texas sheriff ask me to pay a warrant with Bitcoin?

No. The FBI says no legitimate law enforcement or government official will call to demand payment through a cryptocurrency kiosk. Hang up and call your sheriff's office on the number listed on its official website, reached by typing the address yourself.