Expert to warn Maui residents of AI and cryptocurrency scams

AARP fraud specialist Doug Shadel will lead a free seminar in Spreckelsville on Feb. 24 to help Maui residents identify and avoid high-tech financial scams involving artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.

The session starts at 11 a.m. at the Kaunoa Senior Center. Shadel plans to explain how scammers use AI to impersonate family members and how cryptocurrency kiosks—often located in local gas stations and convenience stores—are used to move stolen funds, event organizers said.

“Kūpuna have worked all their lives to save money for their golden years,” AARP Hawaiʻi state Director Kealiʻi Lopez said.

Lopez said scammers are increasingly taking advantage of new technology like cryptocurrency kiosks, which can look like standard bank ATMs, to create new ways to steal money.

Shadel, who has decades of experience as a fraud investigator, will share why even cautious people can be targeted and how to effectively shut down a scammer.

Interested participants can register and reserve a lunch through the AARP Hawaiʻi website or by calling 877-926-8300.

AARP officials said residents can also find registration details on the AARP Hawaiʻi Facebook page or by searching for local events at aarp.org.