Senior Scam Prevention & Fraud Resources in Oregon
Oregon seniors reported $77 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 2,910 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides Oregon-specific scam prevention resources, official reporting contacts, and five years of FBI elder fraud data for the state.
Already been scammed? Read our First 24 Hours Emergency Guide for critical steps to take immediately.
I. Overview: Oregon’s Senior Population & Key Cities
Oregon has an estimated population of 4.3 million as of 2024, with over 880,000 residents aged 65 and older, making up approximately 20.5% of the total population. With one of the fastest-aging populations in the western U.S., Oregon seniors are increasingly targeted by scams including phishing emails, Medicare fraud, fake sweepstakes, tech support hoaxes, and online investment cons.
The top cities with high concentrations of seniors and frequent fraud reports are:
- Portland (approx. 630,000 people)
- Salem (approx. 180,000 people)
- Eugene (approx. 180,000 people)
From urban areas to retirement towns, the fraud threat is growing. In 2025, Oregon seniors lost $77 million (+61%). Investment scams led at $29 million (+72%), and tech support fraud rose 68%. Extortion surged from $126,624 to nearly $3 million — one of the most extreme spikes in the country. Government impersonation was a rare bright spot, declining 28%.
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted Oregon’s Seniors
In 2025, Oregon had 2,910 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $77,481,475 — up 27% in victims and 61% in losses compared to 2024 (2,289 victims / $48M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $29,006,788 | $16,817,393 | +72% |
| Tech Support | $13,556,085 | $8,080,035 | +68% |
| Romance | $12,654,741 | $9,280,510 | +36% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $1,440,614 | $917,599 | +57% |
| Extortion | $2,980,000 | $126,624 | +2,253% |
| Government Impersonation | $3,053,374 | $4,240,736 | -28% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — Oregon
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — Oregon (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 1,513 | $17,071,706 | — | #23 |
| 2022 | 1,314 | $46,324,137 | +171% | #18 |
| 2023 | 1,606 | $44,271,609 | -4% | #21 |
| 2024 | 2,289 | $48,116,839 | +9% | #26 |
| 2025 | 2,910 | $77,481,475 | +61% | #25 |
| 5-Year Total | 9,632 | $233,265,766 | +354% (2021—2025) | — |
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Annual Reports, 2021—2025. Covers victims aged 60 and older. National rank is by total dollar loss among 52 states/territories. National totals: $1.7B (2021), $3.1B (2022), $3.4B (2023), $4.9B (2024), $7.7B (2025) — $20.8 billion stolen from American seniors over five years.
Top Crime Types Targeting Oregon Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 244 | $29,006,788 | $69,544,214 | +1,781% |
| Tech Support | 374 | $13,556,085 | $42,164,590 | +388% |
| Romance | 203 | $12,654,741 | $42,409,482 | +93% |
| BEC | 60 | $3,195,541 | $20,003,136 | +35% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 257 | $3,053,374 | $14,244,701 | +1,948% |
| Extortion | 237 | $2,980,000 | $3,935,258 | +978% |
Top 6 crime types by 2025 losses. Growth calculated from 2021 to 2025. For national crime type trends, see our Crime Type Migration Analysis.
What the data reveals: Oregon’s elder fraud losses reached $77 million in 2025, up 61% from $48 million in 2024, with 2,910 seniors victimized (+27%). Investment scams grew 72% to $29 million and tech support fraud rose 68% to $14 million. The extreme outlier is extortion, which surged from $126,624 to nearly $3 million (+2,253%) — one of the most dramatic single-category increases in the nation. Government impersonation decreased 28%, and romance scams grew a moderate 36%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 1,468 Oregon residents.
National context: Oregon ranks #11 in per-capita victim rate (68.11 per 100,000), placing it in the top quarter nationally — higher than states like Michigan, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. Despite a smaller total population, Oregon’s seniors face disproportionate risk. The $3 million extortion figure, while from a small base, signals an aggressive new threat vector. The 61% loss increase is slightly above the national average of 57%.
For the full national picture, including how Oregon compares to every other state, visit our national hub page with interactive data and rankings.
III. Emergency & Official Contacts
Local Police Departments – Financial & Elder Crimes
1. Portland Police Bureau – Fraud Detail
- Phone: (503) 823-3333 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.portland.gov/police
- Ask for Economic Crimes or Fraud Investigations related to seniors.
2. Salem Police Department – Investigations Division
- Phone: (503) 588-6123 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.cityofsalem.net
- Request assistance reporting elder-targeted scams or financial abuse.
3. Eugene Police Department – Financial Crimes Unit
- Phone: (541) 682-5111 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.eugene-or.gov
- Tip: Ask for assistance with elder financial exploitation or identity theft.
FBI & Federal Reporting
FBI Portland Field Office
- Phone: (503) 224-4181
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Use to report phishing, romance scams, fake tech support, and other elder cyber fraud.
Oregon Attorney General – Elder Fraud & Protection
Oregon Department of Justice – Consumer Protection & Elder Abuse Division
- Consumer Hotline: (877) 877-9392
- Website: www.doj.state.or.us
- Provides scam alerts, complaint forms, and legal support for elder fraud victims.
Statewide Elder Services & Medicare Fraud Reporting
Oregon Adult Protective Services (APS)
- To report abuse, neglect, or exploitation:
24/7 Hotline: (855) 503-7233 - Website: www.oregon.gov/dhs
Oregon Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (855) 673-2372
- Website: www.oregon.gov/dhs
- Assists with detecting and reporting Medicare fraud, billing scams, and identity theft.
Oregon Department of Human Services – Aging and People with Disabilities
- General Info Line: (503) 945-5811
- Website: www.oregon.gov/dhs
- Offers resources for financial protection, legal aid, and elder rights.
Protect Yourself. Report Quickly. Educate Others.
- Oregon seniors report millions in losses annually to scams — many of which are preventable with fast action.
- Save these phone numbers and share them with trusted family, neighbors, or caregivers.
- Visit our Education Center to explore scam examples, prevention tips, and step-by-step reporting guidance.
- If you suspect fraud, speak up. Your report could stop the next scam.
Recent Oregon scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting Oregon seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
Klamath County, Oregon elder drives $20,000 in cash across state lines to a scammer
The Klamath County, Oregon Sheriff's Office says an older woman lost about $20,000 after an unknown caller claimed to be from a tech-support company and told her the IRS had frozen her assets. The caller convinced her to drive the cash to a rest stop in Riverside County, California and hand it to a stranger; the rest stop had no cameras, and the money has not been recovered. The sheriff said he is also aware of a related scam in which callers claim the Sheriff's Office has an arrest warrant for the person, or that their child needs bail money. His advice: hang up on any call asking for personal information or payment, then call the business or agency directly using a verified phone number, and do not be afraid to report a scam right away even if it feels embarrassing.
Read at Herald and News →Protecting seniors from AI scams
After an Oregon senior lost $150,000 to a hacked-email scam, a local event will teach AI-scam safety.
Read at The Nugget Newspaper →The 'phantom hacker' scam: how a months-long con convinces victims to hand cash or gold to a courier
Federal prosecutors describe a growing 'phantom hacker' scheme in which a caller falsely claims a victim's bank or investment account has been compromised, then, days or weeks later, someone posing as a government official tells the victim their money needs to be moved to a 'safe' government account to protect it. After building trust over an extended period, the scammers convince victims to withdraw cash or buy gold and hand it to someone who arrives in person posing as a government agent, sometimes claiming to be a U.S. Attorney or other official. In one related Arizona case, a victim transferred more than $400,000 in assets before realizing it was a scam. No real government agency or bank will ever ask you to withdraw money, buy gold, or hand valuables to a courier to 'protect' them, so if you get a call like this, slow down, hang up, and verify by contacting the agency or bank directly using a number you look up yourself.
Read at U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona →House committee report calls for an 'all-of-ecosystem' approach to fighting scams, including elder fraud
A U.S. House Financial Services Committee report is calling for a coordinated national strategy against fraud and scams, arguing that stopping them requires cooperation across banks, technology platforms, telecommunications carriers, and law enforcement, not just the moment a payment happens. The report cites FTC data showing more than 3 million fraud reports and $15.9 billion in reported losses in 2025, and specifically flags elder exploitation among the scam types it wants better addressed alongside impostor schemes, phishing, and crypto fraud. It recommends stronger consumer education, deliberate friction to slow suspicious transactions, more cross-industry data sharing, and wider use of AI-powered fraud-detection tools, and it launched a new public resource site explaining common scam red flags in plain language. The American Bankers Association welcomed the report's call for a coordinated approach that brings platforms, carriers, and financial institutions into the effort together.
Read at JD Supra →Senate Aging Committee presses nine major AI companies for safeguards protecting older users
The Senate Special Committee on Aging sent letters to nine major AI companies asking what safeguards their AI chatbot 'companion' products have for older adults, people with disabilities, and people in crisis, including how the products are tested, how harms are tracked, and whether independent researchers can access data to study the effects on older users. Companies have until August 31, 2026 to respond. The letters follow a bipartisan committee hearing, held by the committee's Republican chairman together with its Democratic ranking member and another Democratic senator, examining how AI has been used in scams against seniors; at that hearing the committee released a new report citing the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center for almost $21 billion in cybercrime losses in 2025, with $893 million tied to AI-enabled scams. The report's recommendations include a centralized federal scam-reporting portal that would automatically route complaints to the right agency, expanded law enforcement training and cryptocurrency-tracing tools, and new protections against unauthorized AI-generated voice and image replicas. The committee framed it directly: protecting older Americans from AI-enabled fraud and expanding their access to helpful AI tools 'are not competing priorities; they are two sides of the same obligation.'
Read at McKnight's Senior Living →Expert: AI voice cloning is making grandparent and impersonation scams more convincing
At a fraud-prevention session, a consumer-protection expert explained how AI is raising the stakes on scams that already target seniors: fraudsters can pull audio from social media to clone a family member's voice for a fake emergency call, and use AI to alter faces and voices on video calls to look and sound legitimate. He said government agencies never initiate contact by phone, so any call claiming to be the IRS, Social Security, or the FBI is a scam, and that any request to pay through a cryptocurrency ATM is always a scammer. Other advice: legitimate tech companies do not send pop-up warnings with a phone number to call, so restart your computer instead of clicking a link or handing over remote access; use unique passwords and multi-factor authentication; and place a security freeze on your credit report. According to FTC data cited at the session, Americans reported losing a record $15.9 billion to fraud and scams in 2025, an all-ages figure that is separate from the FBI's own reporting on losses to adults 60 and older.
Read at HousingWire →IV. Learn More: Oregon Scam Prevention Guides
Explore Oregon-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in Oregon — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in Oregon — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in Oregon — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in Oregon — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in Oregon — Step-by-step guide to reporting fraud and starting recovery.
For national-level data on each scam type, see our Investment, Tech Support, Romance, and Government Impersonation national guides.
See how Oregon compares. Curious where Oregon ranks in the national picture? Stolen Trust, our 2026 special study, ranks every state and territory using five years of FBI data and lays out one practical plan to fix elder fraud.