A Tampa man says a smooth-talking scammer, posing as law enforcement, walked him straight into a crypto trap at a South Tampa gas station. Derek Haydt told reporters he was coached through withdrawing cash and feeding it into a cryptocurrency ATM, only realizing afterward that roughly $800 of his money was gone for good.
Haydt says the call came in the middle of his workday. According to his account, the caller claimed to be with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and insisted there was a warrant out for his arrest. The person on the line allegedly sent what looked like official documents, complete with seals and case numbers, told him not to hang up, and guided him step by step to a nearby crypto kiosk. Haydt says the scam only clicked after the call abruptly ended, as reported by WFLA.
How the con played out
FOX 13 reports that Haydt ultimately deposited about $800 into the Bitcoin ATM before the call suddenly cut off and he realized he had been scammed. In response, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents that deputies will not call to demand payments, and they will not ask for cryptocurrency, gift cards or wire transfers. The agency urges anyone who gets a call like this to hang up and independently verify the claim using an official phone number. Haydt has filed a police report and started a GoFundMe in an effort to recoup his losses, according to the station.
Wider warnings and numbers
AARP Florida and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement warn that crypto-ATM scams are surging in the state, noting that Florida’s thousands of kiosks give fraudsters plenty of targets. Once money goes into one of these machines, it is often impossible to get it back. Nationally, the FBI told ABC News that reported losses tied to crypto-ATM schemes climbed to roughly $333 million in 2025, and authorities say that trend is not easing up.
How to protect yourself
Bryan Oglesby of the Better Business Bureau Serving West Florida says scammers are leaning harder on spoofed phone numbers, forged documents and even AI-generated content to sound convincing and crank up the pressure, according to local coverage and BBB guidance. Experts recommend several key steps: hang up if someone demands payment by crypto ATM or gift card, confirm any supposed problem using an official number you look up yourself, hang on to ATM receipts, contact your bank immediately if money has already moved, and report the incident to local law enforcement, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission.
