Sterling Heights delays vote on crypto‑kiosk regulations, directs staff to add limits

Sterling Heights councilors postponed final adoption of an ordinance to license and regulate virtual‑currency kiosks and directed staff to return on Jan. 6 with amended language that includes transaction limits.

Cassie Thierfelder, manager of advocacy for AARP Michigan, urged strong consumer protections for older adults and said high losses are concentrated among people age 60 and older. "We know that Americans of all ages have had more than $246 million stolen through crypto kiosk fraud," she said, and recommended daily transaction limits. Council members debated a tiered approach: the draft ordinance already limits new users to a $1,000 cap for the first 14 days, and several council members advocated adding a continued daily cap and a monthly cap after the initial period.

Law and police staff explained technical and enforcement considerations: operators can record ID information and wallet numbers to detect repeat users, but scammers sometimes split transactions across wallet numbers to evade simple caps. Administrators noted some operators push for higher caps (up to $10,500 tied to SAR thresholds), while AARP recommended $1,000 daily / $10,000 monthly as a model. Council consensus settled on instructing staff to draft language with a $2,000 daily limit and a $10,000 monthly limit while preserving the 14‑day $1,000 new‑user restriction; council formally moved to postpone final adoption so staff can prepare revised ordinance language for Jan. 6.

Council members said they intend to monitor results and work with neighboring jurisdictions and state legislators as Michigan considers broader regulatory steps. Staff also offered outreach and resident education (libraries, senior centers) as complementary measures.