emotional manipulation at the heart of rising crypto atm hoaxes

[ed]

Scammers overwhelm victims with fake alerts, “refund” mistakes, staged transfers, phony government IDs, and impersonated bank staff.
One Florida woman lost $250,000 to a scammer pretending to be Jason Momoa. Another elderly victim paid $130,000 after being fooled by a fake Wells Fargo employee — and died months later.
Experts say scammers exploit truth bias, keeping victims isolated so the scammer becomes “the only source of information entering their brain.”

[Abdul Khan]

Scammers rely on panic and pressure — emotional triggers make victims act fast. ️

[Nahid Hossen]

Crypto ATMs are becoming tools for psychological fraud rather than convenience.