FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office Seize Over $6 Million in Portland’s Online Scam Bust

PORTLAND, Ore. — By promptly contacting law enforcement about an alleged online scam, the FBI and the Oregon District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office could seize $6,748,680 fraudulent funds belonging to the City of Portland.

Portland Was the Target of an Online Impersonation Scam

In February this year, the City of Portland was the target of a business impersonation scheme in which the scammer posed as an employee of a company contracted by the city. The scammer accessed the city’s computerized payment scheme and allegedly altered information about a contractor’s bank account.

The following month, law enforcement was notified by the city about funds diverted to an unauthorized bank account that was a payment intended for a contractor.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI obtained a federal seizure warrant on 16 April 2025, seizing the fraudulent funds that had not been moved out of the unauthorized account.

In a news release, the Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division for the District of Oregon, Katie de Villiers, says civil forfeiture allows the government to act swiftly to recover stolen funds.

She says implementing civil forfeiture is especially effective in online scams where the perpetrators are often located in another country and are difficult to identify, delaying criminal prosecution and forfeiture.

The Public Should Always Report Scams to Law Enforcement

“The most important takeaway for the public is that if you find yourself the victim of a similar scam, do not delay contacting law enforcement,” is her advice to victims of similar scams.

The case is an FBI and Portland Police Bureau investigation. Oregon Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine A. Rykken and Julia E. Jarrett are handling the civil forfeiture case.