San Antonio will soon require bilingual warning signs at virtual currency kiosks — commonly referred to as Bitcoin ATMs or crypto kiosks — across the city after City Council approved ordinance changes Thursday aimed at combating a growing wave of cryptocurrency scams that police say have already led to roughly $39 million in reported losses locally.
Older adults appear to be disproportionately impacted. SAPD data showed nearly 38% of identified victims were age 66 or older, though victims ranged from teenagers to people in their 90s.
“It’s infuriating because these are the kinds of financial losses that seniors cannot absorb,” Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) said during an April council discussion. “They don’t have a future earning capacity. How do they get that money back?”
SAPD said the scams follow a similar pattern: victims receive calls from people posing as law enforcement officers, utility employees or government officials claiming they missed jury duty, owe money or can secure the release of a jailed family member by depositing cash into a cryptocurrency kiosk.
Once the money is converted into cryptocurrency, officials say the transactions are often irreversible and difficult to trace.
The city currently has 193 known cryptocurrency kiosk locations — more than Dallas, Fort Worth or Austin — though authorities believe the true number may be higher because cryptocurrency kiosks are not heavily regulated and some machines may not appear in public databases.
A cryptocurrency ATM sits inside a West Side convenience store, one of more than 190 known cryptocurrency kiosk locations identified across San Antonio. Credit: Diego Medel / San Antonio Report The ordinance passed after weeks of collaboration between the city, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, SAPD, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and federal law enforcement partners including the U.S. Secret Service and FBI.
The signs will warn users about common cryptocurrency scams and instruct anyone being pressured to send money to call 911. Under the ordinance, signs must be posted in English and Spanish using large, color-coded 18-point font visible to users standing directly in front of the kiosk.
“Sometimes it just comes down to that low-tech notice saying, ‘Stop what you’re doing. You’re about to be scammed,’” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told the council. “When a scam victim is in the midst of the scam, standing at this ATM terrified because they think that government officials are coming to take them away and they’re about to deposit their life savings.”
SAPD will lead the development, distribution and compliance enforcement of the required signage. Businesses that fail to post the signs can face administrative fines ranging from $100 to $500 per violation, with each day out of compliance counting as a separate offense.
Salazar said the signs could be produced for free through the Bexar County Jail print shop, where inmates participate in job training programs. He also offered to use reserve deputies and volunteers to help distribute signs and assist businesses with compliance efforts ahead of the rollout.
The ordinance is expected to take effect July 1.
AARP representatives also backed the ordinance during Thursday’s council meeting, describing cryptocurrency kiosk scams as a growing form of financial exploitation targeting older adults.
“In 2025 alone, Americans lost $333 million to kiosk-related fraud, and adults over the age of 60 suffered the majority of these financial losses,” AARP San Antonio Associate State Director Ismael Herrera told the council. “ These are not abstract numbers. These are life savings, retirement security and financial independence being taken in a matter of minutes.”
Herrera said scammers often coach victims to stay on the phone during transactions while isolating them from family members, bank employees or law enforcement.
“A high visibility physical warning placed directly on a kiosk acts as a critical pattern interrupter by reaching people at the exact moment when money is changing hands,” he said. “That pause — just a few seconds — can be the difference between protecting someone’s life savings and an irreversible transaction.”
The ordinance also formally declares stronger cryptocurrency consumer protections a legislative priority for the city during the next state legislative session, which starts in January. Lawmakers can start filing bills as early as Nov. 9.
City officials said they plan to pursue broader state-level regulations, including requirements for on-screen fraud warnings, transaction limits for first-time users and temporary transaction holds that could allow banks or family members time to intervene before money disappears.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said state legislation would be a critical next step moving forward.
“The really important complement to this is also what happens at the state level, the legislation that really needs to make sure that this has teeth,” Jones said. “I know Councilman (Jalen) McKee-Rodriguez, chair of the Intergovernmental Relations committee, will make sure that we prioritize this accordingly.”
