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Airway Heights bans virtual-currency kiosks, citing fraud risk to elderly residents
Summary
Council adopted Ordinance C-1128 to prohibit virtual-currency kiosks within city limits after a detective described widespread cryptocurrency kiosk fraud that can wipe out victims' life savings; the ordinance passed unanimously.
The Airway Heights City Council voted unanimously July 6 to adopt Ordinance C-1128, prohibiting virtual-currency kiosks within city limits as a consumer-protection measure.
Detective Tim Schurring (invited by the council's staff) told the council his unit has investigated more than 100 cases involving cryptocurrency kiosk fraud and described those cases as "catastrophic," saying victims' life savings can be lost in hours and that the kiosks are commonly used in scams. "These cases are heartbreaking," he said, noting investigations that sometimes end without asset recovery. He also said kiosk operators or processors can charge high fees — "10 to 30% on average" — and that kiosks have been implicated in money-laundering and other criminal schemes.
General counsel read the ordinance on second reading, describing virtual-currency kiosks as posing a clear public-safety and consumer-protection risk and noting regional and federal warnings. Speakers said the ban would not limit lawful online cryptocurrency use but would remove kiosks that, in their view, are frequently used in fraud.
The council voted to adopt Ordinance C-1128 on second reading without recorded dissent. Council members and police staff characterized the action as preventive consumer protection and noted similar municipal and state efforts.
What happens next: the new municipal chapter (8.17) will be added to the city code; enforcement and any follow-up coordination with county or state authorities were discussed as ongoing work at the city level.
