Law Enforcement, AARP Underscore Support for State Representative Lipper-Garabedian’s Bill Regulating Cryptocurrency Kiosks
October 7, 2025 – On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose), a member of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, joined the Committee for a hearing that included significant testimony in favor of her bill H.1247, An Act preventing fraud and establishing regulations on certain virtual currencies, co-filed with Representative Thomas Stanley (D-Waltham).
Cryptocurrency kiosks, also known as cryptocurrency ATMs, enable people to conduct cryptocurrency transactions at a physical location and can be found in places like supermarkets, gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, and bars. There are hundreds of such kiosks across the Commonwealth and no state laws focused on their use, including with respect to consumer protection. As a result, cryptocurrency kiosks have provided scammers with new opportunities to target vulnerable individuals, particularly older adults and their life savings. Locally, several dozen cryptocurrency scams have been reported to the Melrose and Wakefield Police Departments in the past 18 months, many of them involving the use of crypto kiosks.
Filed with support from the Massachusetts chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Representative Lipper-Garabedian’s bill, An Act preventing fraud and establishing regulations on certain virtual currencies, would establish important consumer protections to prevent and address this growing concern. Among its provisions, the bill would:
Require all cryptocurrency kiosks to be registered in the Commonwealth;
Impose daily transaction limits to avoid the risk of losing large sums of money;
Establish a cap on daily transaction fees;
Require the posting of visible notices on kiosks to warn of fraudulent activities;
Require the issue of full refunds to new customers and refunds of transaction fees for existing customers in the event of a fraudulent transaction;
Require kiosks to issue physical receipts after every transaction to help law enforcement track fraudulent incidents; and
Create a Special Commission to develop a master plan of recommendations for fostering the appropriate expansion of blockchain technology in the Commonwealth.
“The lack of oversight of these machines, as well as their convenient locations for use, make them ideal for fraudulent scams against older adults,” said State Representative Lipper-Garabedian. “The required warnings, transaction caps, and other protections in this would bill would help provide a comprehensive framework to ensure safe use of these machines. Other than New Hampshire, Massachusetts is the only New England state without any established protections regarding cryptocurrency kiosk scams, making this legislation vital to protect our residents.”
Notable statewide, regional, and local public safety leaders and advocates for older adult testified in support of the legislation at the Financial Services Committee hearing. Specifically, Chief of the Insurance and Financial Services Division in the Attorney General’s Office Glenn Kaplan, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, and several former and current police department representatives including from Milton, Sharon, and Waltham testified to showcase law enforcement’s broad support for this legislation. The Massachusetts AARP separately coordinated a panel of organizational leadership and volunteers to underscore support.
The Committee now has 60 days to report the bill.
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