RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina is preparing tighter rules for the cash-to-cryptocurrency machines found in gas stations and convenience stores, as fresh cases show how quickly people can lose their savings to scammers who steer them to the kiosks.
A Johnston County woman recently fed thousands of dollars into one of the machines after callers posing as local law enforcement told her the payment would secure her safe release. The line went dead when she said she could not send $4,000 more. In Harnett County, public records show a man lost more than $30,000 to a crypto kiosk.
The machines look much like ordinary ATMs but turn cash into cryptocurrency almost instantly, and those transfers are hard to trace and hard to undo.
Lawmakers answered this year with House Bill 920, sponsored by Rep. Neal Jackson. It is now Session Law 2026-45, titled the Virtual Currency Kiosk Consumer Protection Act. Kiosk operators will need a license under the state money transmission law and will answer to the Commissioner of Banks. Every transaction must come with a fraud warning and a receipt, and operators must keep compliance and consumer protection officers on call.
The law limits how much money can move. Brand-new customers can deposit no more than $2,000 a day during their first 30 days, and $5,000 a day after that. Operators must refund the full amount deposited under certain conditions, including when a fraudulent transfer is reported within 30 days. Total charges, the spread included, fall under a 12% cap, and first-time customers face a 48-hour hold.
Legislators ratified the measure on July 2 and it was approved on July 7. Most of it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. By that date the Commissioner of Banks must also set up a process for deciding when a kiosk transaction counts as fraud. The law further orders kiosks to shut off or block cameras and optical scanners unless they are needed to verify identity. At least one operator has warned that the fee cap could push some companies out of the state.
The problem is growing nationwide. The FBI logged 5,500 complaints tied to crypto kiosks in 2023 with more than $189 million lost. By 2025 the count had climbed to 13,460 complaints and $389 million in losses.
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