According to PANews, the sheriff of Jasper County, Texas, used cutting tools to dismantle a Bitcoin ATM and recover $25,000 defrauded from residents. Victims transferred money through this machine to scammers posing as government officials.
Sheriff Chuck Havard seized approximately $32,000 in cash from inside the machine under a search warrant, but has not yet located the scammers. The ATM is operated by Bitcoin Depot, and the incident has sparked controversy in the community regarding the legitimacy of law enforcement.
The sheriff emphasized that all resources will be used to combat fraud targeting residents in the jurisdiction.
