Waltham Ordinance Heightens Regulation On Crypto ATMs, Kiosks

WALTHAM, MA — The Waltham City Council has passed a new ordinance that regulates cryptocurrency kiosks and ATMs in the city.

This ordinance was passed unanimously by the Waltham City Council at its meeting on Sept. 8.

Police said it will effectively ban cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks from being operated at businesses in Waltham. The devices are currently unregulated by state and federal law and are often utilized as a tool in scams and fraud, police said.

Steven Drew came to the Waltham Police Department in the spring of 2025 after an elderly family member had been scammed out of $18,000 via a cryptocurrency ATM. Although WPD investigators were already involved in investigating numerous crypto scam incidents, meetings between Drew and members of the department led to formulating different strategies to attack this problem, officials said.

Extra resources have been put into awareness, prevention, investigation and recovery of funds related to scams and fraud, they noted.

More than twenty people in Waltham have reported over $175,000 in losses to cryptocurrency-based scams in 2025.

See Also

• Off-Duty Waltham Cop Halts Bitcoin Scam
• Middlesex Sheriff's Office Warns Locals Of Ongoing Scams