Texas lawmaker targets unregulated ATMs to fight human trafficking
John Engel, 30 April 2021
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Not all ATMs are created equal.
ATMs at banks or financial institutions are highly regulated. But the rest — known as white label ATMs — have no oversight, are often purchased over the internet and can be used for financial crimes or human trafficking.
State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Houston Democrat, filed legislation to establish a registry for white label ATMs in an attempt to cut off the cash flow for human trafficking operations.
House Bill 2629 is currently waiting to be scheduled for a vote by the Texas House with a little more than a month remaining in the legislative session. With time running out, advocates of the legislation believe the delay is being caused by opposition from the ATM industry.
“(White label ATMs) are able to pull in $100 million a year,” Thompson told KXAN. “Anytime is a good time to stop the slavery of women and men into a web of crime like human trafficking.”
