Seven crypto automatic counters were seized and two people were arrested in southwest London Thursday for suspicion of money laundering and an illegal cryptocurrency exchange.
The operation was led by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the metropolitan police, according to a statement from the financial guard dog.
Since January 2021, any cryptography company operating in the United Kingdom must be registered with the FCA and follow the anti-balance regulations. Currently, no legal crypto guide window operates in the United Kingdom, and using or executing one without FCA recording is a criminal offense.
“If you exploit an cryptographic automatic window or illegally exchange, you should expect serious consequences,” said Therese Chambers, executive director of the application and market surveillance at the FCA. “There are currently no automatic cryptography counters legally operated in the United Kingdom, so using only one supports only crime.”
The suspects were interviewed and released under investigation while the investigation continues.
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American legislators offer regulations on automatic distributors of crypto tickets
In Wisconsin, an American state where cryptographic kiosks have become increasingly common, a bill was presented by the senator from the State Kelda Roys and the representative of the State Ryan Spaude to create guarantees against fraud, hidden costs, deceived prices and scams which can cause significant financial loss.
The legislation was introduced after a wave of scams linked to digital currencies and cryptographic kiosks swept the state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alc2u0ynfca
“Everyone deserves precise information on the risks of certain types of technology, transparency on costs and legal prices and railing to prevent scams and criminal exploitation,” said Roys at the time. “The cryptocurrency is there and is actively used – and we must take measures to prevent Wisconsinites from fucking.”
New legislation aims to fight against cryptographic scams
The most common scams involving automatic crypto ticket distributors are phishing scams, where victims are led to send crypto to fraudsters pretending to be for the police, government officials or public service companies. They often target older and more vulnerable populations.
According to an FBI report, the victims lost approximately $ 247 million against scams involving automatic distributors of cryptographic tickets in 2023.
In order for the new bill to become a law, Spaude and Roys must pass the bill through committees, an approval of committee and secure floor both in the Assembly and in the Senate, and to obtain the signature of the governor.
A similar bill was presented to the American Senate at the federal level in February 2025 by Senator Dick Durbin (D – IL). If it is adopted, the “Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act” would display warnings on kiosks across the country, would apply the limits of new customer transactions and offer victims of scams which signal fraud within 30 days of a full refund.
According to Coinatmradar data, the United States is home to 78.4% of the world’s automatic ticket distributors.
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