A Florida conman who claimed he was billionaire Elon Musk stole $600,000 from an aged girl whom he promised tens of millions in return, in line with police.
Jeffrey Moynihan, 55, impersonated the world’s richest man and struck up a friendship with a 74-year-old girl from Texas on Fb, cops in Bradenton mentioned.
After the pair exchanged messages for months in 2023, he satisfied her to fork over $600,000 as an funding in what he claimed had been Musk’s companies — promising $56 million in return.
The pot-bellied fraudster was arrested, shirtless, at his residence in Bradenton final 12 months after the lady’s husband reported the crime to police.
He was sentenced to at least one 12 months behind bars and almost 30 years of probation after he pleaded no contest to fraud fees towards him final week, WWSB reported.
Florida’s Senior Friendship Facilities mentioned this can be a traditional case of elder fraud that they’re working to warn older of us about.
“Numerous instances, individuals which might be older might not have such a big social group,” a spokesperson mentioned.
“And in case you’re residence alone, you understand, for a day or two or no matter, and somebody calls you or sends an electronic mail, and it’s a really pleasant electronic mail, it might probably actually trick individuals,” they added.