During his presidency, Mr. Trump referred to cryptocurrencies as a scam, but his position has since radically changed.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Former U.S. President Donald Trump along with his sons and entrepreneurs late on Monday (September 16, 2024) launched a cryptocurrency platform but provided few details.
Little was revealed about the Trump family crypto project during a two-hour online presentation other than an offer to let people buy digital “tokens” giving them a vote in platform decisions.
World Liberty Financial intended to offer services based on so-called decentralised finance. This mechanism eliminates the need for an intermediary such as a bank to carry out transactions with a third party, the politics-laced discussion indicated. Decentralised finance, or DeFi, is based on so-called blockchain technology, which keeps a theoretically open but tamper-proof record of transactions.
World Liberty Financial will enable users to lend or borrow cryptocurrencies to or from one another, a service already offered by many platforms. The former President’s son Donald Trump Jr. touted this as “the start of a financial revolution,” during a session streamed on X.
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During his presidency Mr. Trump referred to cryptocurrencies as a scam, but has since radically changed his position, presenting himself as a “pro-bitcoin President” if elected in November.
In so doing, he is standing in opposition to the Biden administration, which is seen as a proponent of regulating the sector.
Video above: ‘News 5 Now’ — Top Stories from March 20, 2026 OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a fraud scheme after a resident lost over $500,000. According to a Facebook post from the OCSO, the victim reached out to law enforcement and said he’d been contacted […]
The Fairfax Scam Jam unpacks two of the fastest‑growing threats: romance‑based investment schemes and cryptocurrency fraud. Scammers often initiate contact through friendly wrong‑number texts, dating apps, and social media, then spend weeks or months building trust. Once a relationship feels established, victims are encouraged to “invest” in cryptocurrency, gold, or foreign currency through fraudulent platforms operated by criminal organizations.
You’ll learn how these schemes operate step‑by‑step, the psychological tactics scammers use, and the financial and emotional devastation they leave behind. Presenters will share actionable tools for recognizing early warning signs, having preventative conversations with loved ones, reporting fraud, and recovering when possible. Whether you’re new to digital safety or a seasoned advocate, this year’s Scam Jam will give you the knowledge you need to stay a step ahead of scammers.
The 9th Annual Fairfax Scam Jam is a community collaboration between AARP Virginia and the Fairfax County Silver Shield Anti-Scam Program.
Resource Fair exhibitors will be on hand until 1 p.m.
Representatives from county, state and federal agencies will be available to answer your fraud and scam questions one-on-one.
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Complimentary lunch is provided to registered guests.
WOOD COUNTY, Wis. (WSAW) – The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is hoping a bill that would protect victims from scams involving cryptocurrency kiosks will soon be signed into law. It passed with bipartisan support on Tuesday.
Sheriff Shawn Becker says they have seen many people lose thousands of dollars to scammers when using the machines
Scammers have used kiosks to take thousands of dollars from victims in north central Wisconsin. Scammers convince people to first deposit cash. It’s then turned into bitcoin and sent to scammers.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Department first received complaints about scams involving cryptocurrency kiosks three years ago. Since then, they’ve been investigating reports and testifying for change.
Sheriff Shawn Becker has been sounding the alarm.
“We did push, we did communicate, communicate with our law enforcement agencies, communicate with other legislators, anybody that would be willing to listen,” Becker said.
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Legislation passes with bipartisan support
Lawmakers have been working to impose regulations on these kiosks. One element would require operators to reimburse victims.
“I’m hoping that we can go retroactively to the investigations that we’ve been handling and where we’ve kept the money at the sheriff’s department, and we can give it right back to that victim. And that’s going to be a great day, quite honestly,” Becker said.
The department has thousands of dollars in evidence they seized that they’ll be able to return to victims if the bill is signed into law.
The legislation also includes daily $1,000 transaction limits.
“That limitation is really going to be effective, because somebody can’t walk in there with $20,000 or even more and put it into the machine,” Becker said.
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It also requires operators to add warning labels to kiosks. It also requires kiosks to be more than five feet away from ATMs.
“It took many, many people to be involved in this and understand it’s a process to create legislation and we’re there. And we’re really happy with the end result,” Becker said.
Becker also gave an update about a lawsuit from last year. A crypto vendor sued the department for seizing cash from their bitcoin machines. They’ve now settled. Becker said he didn’t agree with that, but it showed they needed to continue pushing for change.
AARP Wisconsin supporting legislation
Raj Shukla is the Wisconsin state director for AARP. He said this legislation does a lot to stop scammers in their tracks and protect victims, especially since it puts $1,000 daily transaction limits on kiosks.
“That means that people won’t be losing a lifetime’s worth of life savings in just a day. It provides for receipts for every transaction so that law enforcement can track transactions and find scammers faster,” Shukla said.
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Shukla said the consumer protections that exist on ATMs don’t exist on cryptocurrency machines. He said this legislation levels the playing field.
Shukla is hoping the bill is signed into law this week. He said scams involving cryptocurrency are rampant right now.
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