Crypto ATMs, corporate profits, and broken lives: How convenience stores became gateways for scams |
On a cold December day in 2024, Steve Beckett did something millions of Americans do every week: he stopped at a convenience store. There was nothing unusual about the moment. No masked men. No threats. No alarms. Yet by the time Beckett left the Circle K in Indiana, his life savings were gone-extracted not through violence, but through a machine quietly humming inside a brightly lit retail store.
The crime that unfolded did not rely on guns or getaway cars. Instead, it exploited trust, fear, and the illusion of legitimacy created when sophisticated financial technology is placed inside familiar, respected spaces. At the center of Beckett’s loss was a bitcoin ATM operated by Bitcoin Depot, one of the largest crypto ATM companies in the world, installed at Circle K locations under a nationwide commercial agreement.
Beckett, who was 66 at the time, is not someone who fits the stereotype of a careless victim. He spent years working in casino management, sold securities, and later became an ordained minister and volunteer firefighter. He understood financial systems and risk. Yet none of that mattered once fear took hold.
The scam began inside Beckett’s own home. While paying bills on his computer, the screen froze. A message appeared, instructing him to call a Microsoft support hotline. The number was fake, but the presentation was convincing enough to prompt him to dial.
The man who answered identified himself as “Josh.” He spoke calmly and authoritatively, telling Beckett that his computer had been hacked. Soon, the situation escalated dramatically. Beckett was informed that his bank accounts and credit cards had allegedly been used to purchase child sexual abuse material-an accusation designed to induce panic and shame.
Within hours, Beckett was speaking to multiple individuals, each impersonating a different authority figure. One claimed to work at his bank. Another said he represented the Federal Reserve. The message was consistent and terrifying: Beckett’s financial life was compromised, criminal charges were imminent, and prison was a real possibility.
The scammers offered only one solution. To “protect” his money, Beckett was told, he needed to convert it into bitcoin immediately.
For two days, the callers applied intense psychological pressure. They warned him not to speak to family members. They insisted time was running out. They alternated between reassurance and threats. Beckett later said he felt physically overwhelmed. His heart raced. His blood pressure spiked. “My life felt like it was collapsing,” he said.
Despite sensing something was wrong, fear overrode his instincts.
Following the........