Crypto, AI Scams on Rise in Oregon

Several years ago, Paul Griffo helped a member of his church who was scrambling to wire money. The man had received a call that his son had been arrested in a foreign country with drugs in his car and needed bail money.

“He’s obviously upset ... in that state of emotion,” recalls Griffo, who promptly drove to the man’s home in the Portland area.

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Because Griffo, now 70, was not emotional himself, he was able to see the story for what it was: a scam. The church member’s son didn’t have a history of drug use and may not even have been traveling, Griffo says. He convinced the man not to send any money.

Griffo, a retired technology manager for a major bank and an AARP volunteer, is helping to plan fraud education talks — both in-person and virtual — across the state in 2026. The events kick off in April and will take place throughout the year. AARP is also helping to educate law enforcement about elder fraud, as well as working on a bill to provide safeguards around cryptocurrency kiosks for the state’s 2027 legislative session.

“Fraud is fast becoming such a big priority because it is so prevalent and changing so much, and people—especially older adults — are losing big amounts of money,” says Bandana Shrestha, AARP Oregon’s state director.

In 2024, Oregon consumers reported $144 million in fraud losses — up 276 percent from 2020, according to the FBI. However, officials note that the true figure is likely far higher because fraud is underreported.

Older Oregonians generally report greater losses than younger adults. In 2024, the average reported loss among Oregonians 80 and over was $5,314, while the average loss for the 20-29 age group was $958, according to the Common Sense Institute, a nonpartisan research group that studies fraud.

“A lot of other people are being defrauded on a regular basis. It’s just when the older adult is in play, they probably have a lot more money than a 28-year-old or a 35-year-old,” says Kathy Stokes, AARP’s senior director of fraud prevention programs.

Nationwide, adults 60 and older reported $4.9 billion in fraud losses in 2024 — a 43 percent increase from 2023, according to the FBI.

Protecting Consumers

AARP Oregon’s April events will discuss many facets of fraud, from the various types of scams to the ways criminals use emotional manipulation. They will also examine the role of technology in scams, such as the use of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency kiosks, also called crypto ATMs.

The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation recently warned that scammers are using AI to manipulate the voices of loved ones and people from trusted institutions, making impostor scams even more realistic.