Help Put Safeguards on Crypto Kiosks in Washington

Senate Bill 5280 is a bipartisan fix—but a highly profitable crypto kiosk industry is fighting it, putting profits over people and blocking basic consumer protection rules.

The bill doesn’t ban kiosks. It adds simple safeguards like transaction limits, fraud warnings, and fee caps.

Time is running out as legislative deadlines approach. Contact your representative and ask them to urge the chair of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee to reschedule the public hearing.

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Subject URGENT! Ask Chair of Consumer Protection & Business to Hear SB 5280!

Dear Decision Maker,

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SB 5280 is bipartisan legislation that offers a commonsense path forward to address the growing use of crypto kiosks by scammers to extract cash from victims, with little accountability and virtually no path for recovery.

The bill simply puts guardrails in place to protect Washington residents from preventable harm. The Engrossed Senate bill requires reasonable transaction limits, caps on transaction fees, clear scam warnings and a requested amendment for paper receipts.

How big is this problem? In 2024, the FBI logged nearly 11,000 crypto kiosk complaints and $246.7 million in losses; 85% of those losses hit adults 60+. Washington has about 1,000 kiosks, and these machines lack basic consumer protections.

While crypto kiosks can be used for legitimate transactions, the companies that own and operate them have largely failed to implement meaningful safeguards to deter fraud.

Claims from the industry that reasonable consumer protections would harm their business should be a nonstarter! These companies generate substantial profits from kiosk transactions—not only through transaction fees but also through significant markups on cryptocurrency prices, often selling the funds from the transaction at well above market rates and pocketing the difference.

California enacted a similar law—including a stricter $1,000 transaction limit and the same 15% fee cap—on January 1, 2024. According to data from the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, more than 4,600 crypto kiosks are currently operating in the state under its regulatory framework.

This week, the Chair of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee pulled the bill from a committee hearing.

I respectfully request that you contact the Chair and ask them to reschedule a hearing for SB 5280 and to preserve its core consumer protections.

Thank you.

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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