Texas cops cut open crypto ATM to recover $25K lost to scam

Pictures show a Texas sheriff’s department taking a power-cutting tool to a crypto ATM after a family reportedly used it to pay a scammer.

A county sheriff in Texas has taken a power-cutting tool to a local crypto ATM after a family was reportedly scammed out of $25,000, sparking debate among crypto users over the sense of his actions.

According to local reports on Tuesday, a scammer had tricked a family in Jasper County, northwest of Houston, into depositing funds at a local Bitcoin (BTC) ATM by impersonating a government employee.

Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard secured a search warrant and cut open the ATM, which photos show was branded as being operated by Bitcoin Depot, to recoup approximately $32,000, including the $25,000 the family paid to the scammers.

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