A man is accused of obtaining more than $62,000 from a woman he met on eHarmony.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit cited by News4JAX, the victim met a man on the dating site eHarmony. He told her his stepdaughter lived in Australia and urgently needed money for medical bills, then followed up with further requests for money, per the affidavit.
Investigators say the man directed the victim to make her checks payable to a company called BNB Knuckles LLC, telling her the business would convert her U.S. dollars into Australian currency to help his stepdaughter. The woman sent a series of checks and money orders totaling approximately $62,200, according to the affidavit.
How Investigators Traced the Money
Bank records reviewed by investigators showed the checks were deposited into an account registered to BNB Knuckles LLC, an account the affidavit describes as fully controlled by the accused man.
The alleged scheme involved claims of medical emergencies, requests for checks payable to a company and a relative in Australia in need.
The FBI has urged anyone who suspects they are being targeted by a similar scheme to cut off contact immediately. Per the FBI’s Jacksonville field office, people can file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center even if they haven’t lost any money.
What Florida Law Says About the Charge
Under Florida Statutes Section 817.034, obtaining property worth $50,000 or more through a scheme to defraud is classified as a first-degree felony, the most serious tier under the state's organized fraud law. The statute defines a scheme to defraud as a systematic, ongoing course of conduct intended to defraud one or more people or to obtain property through false or fraudulent representations or promises, according to the Florida Statutes.
No further details on the case status, legal representation or upcoming court proceedings were available in the records reviewed for this report.
