Crypto ATM Scams: Your New Rights Under Louisiana's Refund Law

This article is educational, not financial or legal advice.

If a scammer talks you into feeding cash into a crypto machine at a gas station, can you get your money back? In Louisiana, the answer changed on Aug. 1, 2026.

How big is the problem?

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 144 crypto kiosk complaints from Louisiana in 2025, with $2,874,450 in adjusted losses, CryptoSlate reported. Those figures only count people who filed complaints, and some losses may include other payment types used in the same scam.

The rules already on the books

Louisiana added kiosk-specific rules with Act 369 of 2025 (HB 483), effective Aug. 1, 2025. According to OFI's public notice, operators must:

• Cap each user at $3,000 a day.
• Apply a 72-hour hold before processing a transaction.
• Post clear disclosures about terms and conditions.
• Keep written fraud detection and prevention policies.

What Act 482 added

Senate Bill 287, by Sen. Mike Reese, passed both chambers without a "no" vote and was signed May 29, 2026, as Act 482. It took effect Aug. 1, 2026. Based on OFI's summary of the law:

• A 72-hour cancellation right. Operators must let users cancel a transaction within 72 hours. The law replaced language saying a transaction "is not reversible."
• Refunds anytime from unlicensed operators. If the operator wasn't properly licensed, it "must allow the user to cancel the transaction and receive a full refund at any time, at the operator's expense."
• Deadlines. Operators must acknowledge and respond to a cancellation or refund request within 10 business days, and complete refunds within 90 days of the request or of receiving fraud documentation, whichever is later.
• A live person on the phone. Operators must offer live phone support, with a toll-free number on the kiosk and the receipt.
• Better receipts. Receipts must show the licensee's contact information, the kiosk's identifier and the full amount of each fee.
• Reporting. Licensees must send OFI quarterly reports of all cancellation and refund requests.

Operators can ask for proof that a transaction was fraud, such as a police report or an FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center filing, CryptoSlate reported. The new protections apply to transactions on or after Aug. 1, 2026.

A related change: the licensing law is now permanent

A second bill by Reese, SB 163, became Act 923 without the governor's signature on June 24, also effective Aug. 1. It removed a July 1, 2027, expiration date from the Virtual Currency Businesses Act, the 2020 law that requires crypto businesses to be licensed. It also says that if a federal licensing law preempts part of the state law, the conflicting state provisions become void, according to OFI's summary.

What the law can't do

• It doesn't recover money from the scammer. It puts obligations on the kiosk operator. Once crypto leaves a wallet, it's usually gone.
• Timing matters. For a licensed operator, the cancellation right runs 72 hours. After that, the "anytime" refund applies only if the operator was unlicensed.
• We don't yet know how well it works. The quarterly refund reports to OFI should eventually show how many requests are made and paid. We have not found them published yet.

If you think you've been scammed at a kiosk

1. Stop sending money. Anyone who tells you to pay a government agency, utility or tech support with crypto is a scammer.
2. Keep the receipt. It should list the operator, kiosk ID and toll-free number.
3. Call the operator immediately and ask to cancel, then put the request in writing. The clock is 72 hours.
4. File a police report and an FBI complaint at ic3.gov. Operators may require one of them.
5. Check whether the operator is licensed on OFI's licensee list.
6. File a complaint with OFI if the operator doesn't respond within 10 business days.

As of July 31, OFI listed 36 active virtual currency business licensees, according to CryptoSlate.

This article is educational, not financial or legal advice.

• Crypto
• Policy