Bitcoin Depot, a top crypto ATM vendor, to pay nearly $2M to compensate fraud victims
A photo illustration of a physical gold Bitcoin collectible on December 3,2025, in London, England. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
(MAINE) — One of the country’s top cryptocurrency kiosk vendors has agreed to pay the state of Maine nearly $2 million as part of a settlement to compensate victims of fraud, the state announced on Monday.
Bitcoin Depot, which operates more than 25,000 bitcoin ATMs across the country, will pay the state $1.9 million, which represents money “taken by third-party scammers who defrauded Maine consumers through their kiosks.”
Victims of fraud perpetrated using Bitcoin Depot kiosks may apply for compensation from the state. As part of the settlement, Bitcoin Depot admits to no wrongdoing or violation of state or federal laws.
Bitcoin ATMs, which allow users to insert cash and send it to a digital wallet anywhere in the world in only a few minutes, have emerged as scammers’ top go-to method for separating Americans from their cash, according to experts.
In a typical scam, fraudsters will convince their victims that they must make a payment or safeguard their cash by inserting it in a bitcoin ATM. Once the transaction is executed, experts say, the money can be nearly impossible to recover — making it an attractive method for prospective scammers.
In 2025, Americans lost more than $333 million to bitcoin ATM scams, the FBI recently told ABC News, representing a dramatic uptick from prior years.
Maine has taken some of the nation’s most aggressive steps in limiting the proliferation of scams using bitcoin ATMs, including establishing daily deposit limits and capping transaction fees.
A spokesperson for Bitcoin Depot, which currently faces a separate lawsuit in Iowa, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Tropical Development – Into the Weekend Map (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Melissa has formed in the Atlantic and may further strengthen into a hurricane.
Melissa will stay away from the mainland United States, and instead pose the biggest threat to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cuba. The storm might also impact Puerto Rico.
Here’s the latest forecast:
As Melissa churns over the Caribbean in the coming days, it will unleash heavy rain, strong winds and rough surf on the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. A dangerous 5 to 10 inches of rainfall is possible by Friday, with more rain possibly coming over the weekend.
Puerto Rico may face heavy rain and gusty winds from Melissa’s outer bands on Thursday, Friday and this weekend. But so far, the forecast shows that the worst of the storm will avoid Puerto Rico.
Water temperatures in the Caribbean are 3 to 4 degrees above average for this time of year, which will help fuel this system.
The Atlantic hurricane season lasts until Nov. 30.
(NEW YORK) — In an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him unqualified and saying he just wants to please President Donald Trump.
The comments came after Hegseth asked the Navy secretary to review Kelly’s comments in a video to troops for “potentially unlawful conduct,” according to a memo posted on social media by the Pentagon.
The Arizona senator was one of six Democrats featured in a video last week addressed to military members.
“The threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from aboard, but from right here right at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders,” the group said. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
The Department of Defense on Monday said it is launching a “thorough review” into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, citing “serious allegations of misconduct.”
Meanwhile, Kelly told Kimmel that the president and his administration’s reaction sows fear, calling it an example of “how democracies die.”
“It is right out of the playbook, you know, the playbook of authoritarianism. That’s what they do. They try to suppress speech,” Kelly said. “Every one of us has First Amendment speech rights, and I think the president is infringing on those and he is sending, he is sending a pretty strong message. You do not want to cross him, and your loyalty should be to him. It should not. It should always be to the Constitution.”
Kelly said that Hegseth is “totally unqualified” for the job and that “he just wants to please the president.”
“He can go after me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is law in the military, which is kind of wild, because we recited something in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and he’s going to prosecute me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” Kelly said. “It is so ridiculous, it’s almost like you can’t make this s— up.”
Kelly also told Kimmel how he found out that Trump first reacted to the video with the post, detailing that he was with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., when a staffer interrupted their briefing and slid her a piece of paper.
“So somebody comes in in the middle of our brief, slips her piece of paper and I take a look at the piece of paper, and it says ‘the president is calling for your execution’– to her, to Elissa, so she, she looks at me, she gets up, she walks out,” Kelly said. “About five minutes later, she comes back in, looks at me and says, ‘Well, he’s calling for your execution too.’ So I wasn’t off the hook.”
Hegseth bashed the Arizona senator earlier this week, accusing him of incorrectly wearing his military medals and calling the video addressed to troops that Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers were in a “politically-motivated influence operation.”
“So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not only did your sedition video intentionally undercut good order & discipline…but you can’t even display your uniform properly,” Hegseth said in a post shared on X on Tuesday.
Hegseth’s post was in response to Kelly’s statement on Monday regarding the Pentagon’s alleged review, which included a photo of his military medals.
“Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/if you are recalled to active duty, it’ll start with a uniform inspection,” Hegseth added.
“The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth said on Tuesday.
All military officers who have retired after 20 years of service are able to be recalled to active duty, and if they are determined to have engaged in misconduct, they are subject to military prosecution — potentially a court-martial.
Kelly served for 25 years in the Navy and at NASA, retiring in 2011.
The code referenced by the Defense Department could subject Kelly to an “administrative measure,” which could include a reduction in rank — and a reduction in his pension entitlement.
“That is not how our democracy works, and we cannot go down that slippery slope,” said Kelly.
