Nova BTM · Customer safety
Known scams
Once bitcoin is sent, the transaction cannot be reversed or refunded by anyone — not by us, not by the police, not by your bank. That is why it is worth a few minutes to be sure before you buy.
Did someone tell you to come to this machine?
If anyone contacted you and directed you here — over the phone, by text, by email, or through a pop-up on your computer — you are being scammed. This is true even if they sound official, even if they know your personal information, and especially if they are still on the phone with you right now.
Hang up. Do not put money in the machine. Call us instead. We will not be upset, and it costs you nothing to check.
Call (844) 668-2286No government agency, court, police department, utility, bank, or legitimate business will ever ask you to pay with a bitcoin ATM.
How these scams work
Tap any one to read what victims are told and how to check.
“Someone I met online needs money urgently.”Romance scam
You believe you are in a relationship with someone you met online, often someone overseas. It builds over months. You may believe you are engaged. Then come the urgent expenses — a plane ticket to finally meet you, customs fees, a medical emergency. Bitcoin gets used here because it crosses borders easily.
If you have never met this person face to face, treat every request for money as a scam, no matter how long you have been talking.
Source: Fraud.org
“I got hired, and now I need to buy bitcoin with the money they sent me.”Job or payment-processing scam
You answer a job posting or get contacted about work. Money lands in your bank account, and you are asked to withdraw it as cash and buy bitcoin as part of “training” or “processing.” You are offered $50 to $100 for helping.
Days later the transfer is reversed because it came from a stolen account. You are left with a negative balance and no bitcoin. No real employer will ever ask you to move your own money.
Source: Krebs on Security
“A pop-up says my computer is infected and support is on the phone.”Tech support scam
A warning fills your screen with a number to call. The person who answers takes remote control of your computer, shows you “evidence” of hackers or of money moving out of your accounts, and tells you to protect your funds by converting them to bitcoin.
Microsoft, Apple, and Google never put a phone number in an error message. Close the window, restart the computer, and call nobody.
“My bank’s fraud department says I need to move my money somewhere safe.”Bank or fraud-department impersonation
Someone calls claiming to be from your bank’s fraud team. The caller ID may show your bank’s real number. They say an employee is stealing from you, or your account is compromised, and the only way to secure your money is to withdraw it and convert it.
No bank will ever ask you to withdraw cash and buy bitcoin. Hang up and call the number printed on the back of your own card.
“Social Security says my number was compromised.”Social Security impersonation
The caller says your SSN has been linked to a crime and is about to be suspended. They often already know your number, which is what makes it convincing. They tell you to withdraw everything from your bank and deposit it into a “safe” account using a QR code they send you.
The Social Security Administration will never call to threaten you, and there is no such thing as a safe account you have to move money into.
“The IRS says I owe money and will arrest me today.”IRS impersonation
Someone claiming to be an IRS agent demands immediate payment of a debt, often knowing enough personal detail to sound real, and threatens jail time or deportation if you do not pay right now.
The IRS does not accept bitcoin. It also does not call to demand immediate payment, and it does not threaten arrest over the phone. Real tax matters arrive by mail.
Source: IRS.gov
“My power will be shut off unless I pay in the next hour.”Utility impersonation
Someone from your electric, gas, water, or cable company calls or emails about an overdue balance and threatens to cut off service the same day unless you pay immediately.
Look up your utility’s number on your paper bill or your own account, and call them directly. Never call a number the caller gives you.
“A relative is in jail and needs bail money.”Grandparent or family emergency scam
You get a call that a grandchild, niece, or nephew has been arrested or hurt and needs money right now — and that you must not tell anyone else in the family. This one deliberately targets older people, and increasingly uses AI-cloned voices.
Hang up and call that relative yourself on the number you already have. Call another family member. Call the police department or hospital directly. Secrecy is part of the scam.
“I’m paying a deposit for a vacation rental.”Booking or Airbnb clone scam
A listing on a real booking site leads you to a lookalike site off-platform, where you are asked to secure the reservation with a bitcoin deposit. People find out on arrival that the booking never existed.
Airbnb does not accept bitcoin in any form. No legitimate booking platform does. If a host moves you off the platform to pay, it is a scam.
Source: CBS News
“I found an amazing deal and the seller wants bitcoin.”Online marketplace scam
A car, a piece of equipment, a phone — listed well below market value on Craigslist, eBay, or Marketplace. The seller sends a QR code for payment. Once the bitcoin is sent, they disappear, and so does the listing.
Price far below market value is the tell. Pay in person, through the platform, or not at all.
“This investment guarantees me returns every week.”Investment and Ponzi schemes
Ads or a personal contact promise unusually high, reliable returns. Sometimes it starts with a friendly stranger on social media or a messaging app who builds trust for weeks before mentioning a trading platform. Small withdrawals work at first, which is what convinces people to put in more.
A promised daily or weekly percentage is the clearest warning sign there is. No real investment can guarantee a return.
Warning signs
If any one of these is true, stop and call us before you continue.
- You were contacted first — by phone, text, email, or a pop-up.
- You are told to keep it secret from family, your bank, or the mall staff.
- There is a deadline. Today, this hour, before the machine closes.
- Someone stays on the phone with you while you stand at the machine.
- You were sent a QR code to scan rather than using your own wallet.
- You are told this is the only way to protect, verify, or unfreeze your money.
- You are asked to lie about why you are buying bitcoin.
What Nova BTM will never do
If someone claims to be us and does any of this, they are not us.
- Call, text, or email you asking you to send or deposit bitcoin.
- Ask for the private key on your paper wallet, or your wallet recovery phrase.
- Ask for remote access to your phone or computer.
- Ask you to keep a transaction secret from your family or from mall staff.
- Send you a QR code to scan at the machine.
- Promise to recover funds you already sent, for a fee.
Our only phone number is (844) 668-2286 and our only email is support@novabtm.com. If in doubt, hang up and call us on that number.
Protections built into every machine
California law limits what any kiosk operator can do, and we follow it.
$1,000
Maximum per customer, per day, across all our machines. If someone told you to deposit more than this, that alone tells you it is a scam.
15%
Fees are capped at the greater of $5 or 15% of the transaction. Anything higher is against the law in California.
Every time
You receive written disclosures before the transaction and a detailed receipt after it. Read them.
Every customer is identity-verified with us before they can transact. If someone is pressuring you to buy more than the daily limit, or telling you to use several machines, several locations, or other people to get around it, they are asking you to help them commit a crime.
If it already happened
Act quickly, and please do not feel embarrassed. These scams are designed by professionals and they work on careful people.
- Call us right away at (844) 668-2286. Keep your receipt. Occasionally timing matters, and we can preserve records for investigators.
- Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- File a complaint with California DFPI at dfpi.ca.gov, the state regulator for crypto kiosks.
- File a police report with your local department. You will need it for any bank or insurance claim.
- Stop all contact with the scammer and be wary of anyone who then offers to recover your money for a fee. That is a second scam aimed at the same victims.
We want to be honest with you: bitcoin transactions cannot be reversed, and recovery is uncommon. Reporting still matters, because it is how these networks get traced and shut down.
Worried about a parent or grandparent?
Many of these scams deliberately target older adults.
The most useful thing you can do is agree on one rule in advance: no money moves without a call to you first. Scammers rely on secrecy and urgency, so a standing agreement to check in defeats most of it before it starts.
It also helps to talk about the specific stories rather than fraud in general — the grandchild in jail, the Social Security number that was compromised, the computer pop-up. People recognize a script far more easily than they recognize an abstraction. And if it has already happened, lead with sympathy rather than blame; shame is the main reason these go unreported.
Not sure? Ask us first.
If anything about your situation feels off, call before you put money in. We would far rather answer a question than see someone lose their savings.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The scams described are examples and are not an exhaustive list; new variations appear constantly. Nova Machines Inc. does not endorse any third-party website or organization referenced here. Digital financial asset transactions cannot be reversed, and Nova Machines Inc. cannot recover or refund digital financial assets once they have been sent. We reserve the right to modify this page from time to time.
Updated: 08/10/2026