Family says missed jury duty scam took $40K from elderly father in Gresham

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The daughter of the victim says they are still recovering from the mental strain this has had on their family. She says she never thought being on your phone inside your own home could also be dangerous.

The daughter of the 79-year-old Gresham man scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars is sharing the harm the incident has had on her father.

“The effects of this go far beyond the money. It has created so much stress,” Tarisa said.

Tarisa, who didn’t want to be on camera for privacy reasons, said on Sept. 23 that her father texted her, saying he was busy and couldn’t be reached.

“By the evening, I thought something was wrong; something doesn’t make sense. So, I drove out to his house in East Gresham, and he wasn’t there. That was very unusual,” she said.

Tarisa called the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. When he got home, it was clear he’d been scammed.

Tarisa says her father told her the scammers said he missed jury duty and needed to pay a fee. Bank statements revealed he took out $40,000 at two different bank locations. The Sheriff’s Office says the 79-year-old then deposited the cash into a Bitcoin machine in southeast Portland.

“I was worried about how much further the scam stretched. Like, what else do they have access to, what else did they take,” Tarisa said.

Tarisa said the scammers held her dad hostage for several hours while on the phone.

“I don’t want to be worried about things; I don’t want him to be worried about things. But it’s heavy, it’s very heavy. And the financial consequence is significant,” she said.

Tarisa has submitted more potential evidence to investigators. A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said they’ve received her emails. They say the case is still open and there are no leads.

“This is a big crime, this is a big loss, and it feels like there’s nothing they can do, and these scammers know that,” Tarisa said.

As Tarisa and her father move forward, she hopes this serves as a friendly reminder to be careful with your money and personal information over the phone.

“When people are older and maybe unaware of these scams, it’s important, it’s really important to have someone else that you can turn to and talk to,” she said.

Tarisa’s father has not received his money back, and the sheriff’s office says he likely never will.