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Committee advances ban on cryptocurrency kiosks after law‑enforcement testimony
Summary
Senate Bill 22‑51, which would prohibit the installation and operation of virtual‑currency kiosks (so‑called Bitcoin ATMs) in Tennessee, advanced after sheriff testimony describing senior citizens scammed into large cryptocurrency transfers.
Senator Johnson presented SB 22‑51 to prohibit installation or operation of virtual‑currency kiosks that convert cash into cryptocurrency at retail locations. He said the measure responds to fraud patterns where victims are directed to convert cash at kiosks and that law enforcement has difficulty recovering funds. Cumberland County Sheriff Casey Cox described local victims who deposited tens of thousands of dollars after online scams and asked the committee to consider a statewide prohibition.
Sheriff Cox recounted an example in which a longtime community member deposited $27,000 into a kiosk after answering a pop‑up scam, and said several similar incidents motivated his request for legislative action. "These cryptocurrency Bitcoin ATM machines... are classified as they are a means for fraud to be used amongst my citizens in my community," he told the committee.
After testimony from law‑enforcement and other advocates the committee approved the measure and it now moves to the committee calendar.
