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San Antonio officials outline steps to curb crypto ATM fraud; ordinance to return in May
Summary
San Antonio police and staff briefed the council on a proposed Digital Fraud Prevention ordinance after reporting hundreds of local incidents tied to crypto kiosks. Officials recommended bilingual outreach, signage, a possible transaction delay and further coordination with state and federal partners; the ordinance will return in May for consideration.
San Antonio police and city staff on April 2 presented a proposal to tackle rising scams that use crypto/bitcoin kiosks and impersonation calls to defraud residents.
Chief Javier Salazar told the council the department has tracked hundreds of reports and estimated large annual losses to local residents, saying the crimes “are organized, they evolve very quickly” and “we are seeing victims as young as 15 and as old as 92.” Salazar urged prevention-focused measures including bilingual public-education campaigns and clearer signage at kiosk locations.
Staff reviewed an analysis of reported incidents and demography, noting concentrated kiosk locations across several ZIP codes and that older adults are often targeted. The presentation summarized enforcement limits — because kiosks and some operators may be outside local regulatory reach — and proposed a package of steps the city can take now: a bilingual outreach campaign, on-site signage at identified kiosks, coordination with federal partners for investigations, and development of a city security plan to return on April 21.
Among potential legislative options discussed was a 72-hour delay on crypto transactions to give consumers time to verify calls or messages; staff said that approach has been proposed elsewhere but would likely require state-level action for full effect. Councilmembers asked staff for metrics to evaluate outreach effectiveness and whether signage reduced incidents in other cities that tried similar tactics.
The council did not take final action on an ordinance at the meeting. Staff said a security plan will be presented April 21 and that the proposed ordinance will be brought back in May for formal consideration.
