PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD The strength of Indiana is that we bring together a variety of perspectives from the plethora of areas that touch the field of cyber, especially through the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity (IECC). Hence the name "Perspectives From the Field Series" in which we invite experts to discuss the real and challenging issues we are facing in the field and the proposed solutions from the experts to better the lives and businesses of all Hoosiers. In the second of a three-part blog series, members of the Council’s Finance Committee share their knowledge and expertise about the emergence of Bitcoin ATM machines, the scams that are happening when they’re being used and why – beginning very soon – they’ll be disappearing from the retail locations they’ve occupied in convenience stores, gas stations, smoke shops and liquor stores throughout the Hoosier state. Providing their perspective is Joe Henrich, who serves as the senior vice president of technology for Horizon Bank and Brian Avery, who is the chief technology officer at Star Bank. By Joe Henrich and Brian Avery Seventeen years after the first transaction involving Bitcoin was completed, cryptocurrency is continuing to be used for a myriad of legitimate transactions globally, as well across the country and here in Indiana. Unfortunately, it is the Bitcoin ATMs that are being used, with increasing frequency, by cybercriminals to target their victims. Currently, there are 45,000 Bitcoin ATMs in the U.S., and according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 2024, reported that scams perpetrated using bitcoin ATMs cost Americans nearly $250 million – a figure that is more than double the sum from the previous year. How do they do it? Scammers rely on urgency, fear, and secrecy to manipulate their victims. If you receive a message or come