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Resident urges Douglas County to ban crypto ATMs, citing scams and high fees
Summary
A local resident told commissioners he wants Douglas County to ban crypto ATMs, saying about 20 kiosks operate in the area, most transactions are linked to scams, and state legislation (House Bill 945) does not go far enough, though the board took no action at the meeting.
Rick Callie, who identified himself and his Douglasville address during public comment on April 14, urged the Douglas County Board of Commissioners to ban crypto ATMs and kiosks, arguing they primarily enable fraud against older and vulnerable residents.
Callie said about 20 crypto kiosks operate in the county, alleged that up to 98% of transactions are linked to scams, and criticized fees of 10–25% that kiosks charge to convert cash to cryptocurrency. He told the board the existing state measure, House Bill 945 (awaiting the governor’s signature), limits fees to 18% and prescribes reporting guidelines, but he said that the bill “falls short” because it does not remove kiosks or eliminate the underlying risk.
Callie urged county action to “make it some other county’s problem,” citing examples of municipal bans in other states and arguing county-level prohibition could reduce scam opportunities locally. Commissioners did not take immediate legislative action during the meeting; the item remained a public comment requesting follow-up.
Why it matters: Callie framed the issue as a consumer-protection and elder-safety concern. Any local prohibition would need legal review for preemption by state law and coordination with law enforcement and county code.
Next steps: The transcript records the public comment but no motion or staff directive to pursue a ban during this session.
