Everyone wants to love and be loved, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said.
“But we also need to protect our nest eggs and our life savings,” she said. “We don’t want people to lose everything.”
Arizona is home to some of the more vulnerable populations to schemes like romance scams – a type of fraud where a criminal creates a fake online identity to build a romantic relationship and manipulate their victim into sending money or personal information.
Mayes led a community discussion at SaddleBrooke DesertView Performing Arts Center on Monday, Oct. 20 around protection against fraud and scams frequently impacting residents.
While Saddlebrook resident Marjorie Baron deletes suspicious emails and refuses to pick up the phone if the number doesn’t match her area code, she believes even “sophisticated and smart” people can get scammed.
“I know somebody who transferred money to somebody who called and said their account was closed…” she said. “They transferred all their savings, and I don’t know if they ever got it back.”
With growth in artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, scammers are finding modern ways to defraud elderly victims, Mayes said.
Arizonans lost an estimated $177 million in cryptocurrency fraud last year, according to Mayes’ office. The state led the nation with 289 elder fraud cases per 100,000 seniors in 2023.
Arizona has approximately 600 cryptocurrency ATMs across the state. In 2024, the FBI reported a 99% increase in complaints of fraud involving cryptocurrency ATMs and more than two thirds of the victims of cryptocurrency ATM fraud were over 60 years old.
Scammers like to request crypto because it lacks many of the same protections that other payment forms provide and is hard to trace once the money is sent.
Mayes attributed the growing senior and retiree population as a factor. Arizona ranks 12th highest in percent of population aged 65 years and older in the United States.
“We must come together as a community and talk to each other about these scams. Part of the problem is that we’re increasingly isolated, and we’re not communicating,” Mayes said.
JoAnn Weston, one of Monday’s attendees, said the town hall presentation made her feel more prepared and protected, especially after several recent scam calls from her “grandchildren.”
“I said, who is this, and they say ‘oh, it’s your grandson,’” she said. “I knew right away that it wasn’t anyone I know, and I just hung up.”
Safety tips included being cautious of unknown callers and coming up with a secret phrase only a loved one would know.
“By staying informed, verifying identities, and protecting our loved ones, we can fight back against these devastating frauds,” Mayes said.
Mayes’ office partnered with Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes to post warning signs on Bitcoin ATMs. The signs warn users to stop their purchase of Bitcoin or other types of cryptocurrency if they have been instructed to purchase it by someone they do not know and have never met in person.
Pima County authorities have been placing scam alerts on dozens of ATMs and cryptocurrency kiosks all around Pima County since late 2023, around the time the sheriff’s office began tracking cryptocurrency fraud.
Det. Michael Wilson serves on the Pima County Sheriff’s Office financial crimes and fraud unit.
“[The alerts ask] ‘hey, are you being told to send funds with cash for the purpose of obtaining lottery winnings, quashing warrants for your arrest or any other suspicious reasons? And if so, call the Pima County Sheriff’s Department fraud unit,’” Wilson said.
In 2024, Wilson said there were a total of 58 cryptocurrency fraud cases, which is about one incident every six days. So far in 2025, Wilson said there are 74 cases as of October 21.
While the numbers show an increase in cryptocurrency fraud, Wilson said the agency has seen success in prevention–although it’s harder to measure.
On the same day Mayes addressed a crowd of Saddlebrooke residents on fraud prevention, Wilson said the sheriff’s office was able to intervene in a potential cryptocurrency scam.
“We received a call from somebody who was about to place some funds into an ATM and called the hotline to see if what she was experiencing was real or not,” he said. The woman reported that she already lost $1,500 and was instructed to send an additional $15,000.
“…who knows what other cases have been prevented as a result of those alerts being present,” Wison said.
Victims in Pima County can contact the fraud prevention hotline at 520-351-3000, send an email to fraud@sheriff.pima.gov, or visit pima-sheriff.org/fraud for resources and information.
In September, Arizona’s new Cryptocurrency Kiosk License Fraud Prevention law went into effect.
Daily transaction limits are reduced to $2,000 per day for new customers and $10,500 for existing customers.
New warning signs must be displayed on the screen and customers will be required to acknowledge the warnings before proceeding.
Kiosk and ATM operators will be required to issue full refunds, including fees, to new customers who report they have been victims of fraud within 30 days of the transaction.
Verify first. Hang up and contact the organization directly using official contact info — not the number the caller gives you.
Stay Skeptical. Be cautious of unexpected calls, especially those asking for urgent money transfers. No Crypto payments: If someone demands payment in cryptocurrency, it’s a scam.
Protect your info: Don’t share personal info or click on links from unknown texts, emails, or messages. Ask someone you trust. Talk to a trusted friend or family member before making big financial decisions.
Report suspicious activity. If something feels off, it probably is. Report the call to local law enforcement and file a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
