Missouri AG sues crypto ATM operator CoinFlip, alleging fraud

Update (May 21 at 4:15 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from CoinFlip.

Missouri is suing the company behind cryptocurrency ATM operator CoinFlip, accusing it of “knowingly facilitating fraudulent transactions and profiting from them,” in the latest move by a US state authority targeting digital currency kiosks and ATMs.

In a Wednesday notice, the office of Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said the lawsuit against GPD Holdings, doing business as CoinFlip, was in response to incidents of fraud, including against the state's “seniors and veterans.” The state began a probe in December 2025 into several crypto ATM companies, including Bitcoin Depot, which recently filed for bankruptcy.

Missouri lawsuit against CoinFlip. Source: Missouri AG

“The Attorney General’s Office is asking the Court to declare that CoinFlip’s practices violate the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act; to enjoin CoinFlip from operating in Missouri; to impose civil penalties of $1,000 per violation over the past five years (up to $1,826,000); and to award restitution to consumers,” said the AG’s office.

According to CoinFlip’s website, the company operates 136 crypto kiosks in Missouri, and 4,229 in the US.

In recent months, ATM operators like Bitcoin Depot, CoinFlip and others have been repeatedly targeted by US state authorities and municipalities which have passed laws and ordinances restricting or outright banning the technology.

Related: Minnesota to weigh ban on crypto kiosks after scam reports

Warning about fraud from May 2025. Source: CoinFlip

In a statement to Cointelegraph responding to the lawsuit, a CoinFlip spokesperson called the legal action “meritless” and a “misguided attack on the company,” adding that it planned to “fight this lawsuit aggressively.”

“The Attorney General is wrongfully targeting the company that championed the law that protects Missourians from criminal scammers,” said CoinFlip.  “Rather than waste taxpayer money pursuing a licensed and regulated company, the Attorney General’s office should investigate, catch and stop those criminals preying on Missourians across the financial services ecosystem.”

Bitcoin Depot warned of lawsuits and regulations before filing for bankruptcy

In a May 12 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, crypto ATM operator Bitcoin Depot said “substantial doubt exists about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” The concerns over paying more than $20 in legal judgments in the fourth quarter of 2025 and “ongoing litigation matters” came just a few days before Bitcoin Depot filed for voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in Texas.

Bitcoin Depot was one of the largest crypto ATM operators in North America, responsible for more than 9,000 kiosks globally.

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