Cryptocurrency

In the last two years, victims in Clay County have lost $3 million to scammers who fabricate fees for missing jury duty and other cons. The scammers then have them convert money into Bitcoin so it's hard to trace or recover.

Installed inside gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops, cryptocurrency kiosks tend to be placed in Kansas City neighborhoods with larger numbers of Black and Latino residents. Critics say they're a targeted attempt to exploit financially vulnerable people with steep fees for a volatile product.