Springfield could soon become the latest Massachusetts community to ban crypto currency ATMs.
This week, city leadership announced plans to prohibit the machines, following almost two years of trying to address fraud cases tied to them.
According to the Springfield Police Department, between early 2025 and mid-2026, over 40 residents and visitors to the city were scammed, collectively losing just under a million dollars.
Most of the cases involved kiosks found in various convenience stores - ATMs that scammers convince victims to go to and deposit funds at in order to avoid supposed legal penalties.
Mayor Domenic Sarno says some scammers have gone as far as to impersonate city Police Commissioner Larry Akers.
“Our own police superintendent, Larry Akers, received a phone call from … himself! [It went] ‘This is police commissioner Larry Akers from Springfield and if you don't come and pay up here at this machine, there's a warrant out for your arrest,’” the mayor recounted for WAMC Thursday. “Can you imagine that? These are unscrupulous individuals and once that money is put in, it's gone - you're never going to see it again.”
An ordinance calling for the "physical removal of all virtual currency kiosks" in publicly accessible spaces is expected to go before the city council in the weeks ahead.
At least 20 other communities, including Westfield and Longmeadow, have similar bans in place.
