Man Posed as NFL Player to Steal $1.3 Million from 26 Women Across Four States
Federal prosecutors say Daejon Love used dating apps, fake investment accounts, and a made-up San Francisco 49ers identity to run a romance fraud that took over a million dollars from victims in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.
Key points
- Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, was charged alongside Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, after their arrest in Boise, Idaho in connection with a romance and investment fraud scheme dating to February 2022.
- Prosecutors say at least 26 victims across four states lost a combined $1.3 million.
- Love falsely presented himself as a San Francisco 49ers player and a wealthy real estate investor on dating apps and social media.
- Both face conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, the federal crime of using electronic communications to deceive people out of money.
- The FBI believes the true victim count is higher than the 26 identified so far.
What did these men actually do?
The scheme was carefully staged. Love found women through dating apps, built what they believed were genuine romantic relationships, then steered them toward fake investment opportunities.
On social media he posed as a 49ers player or a high-end real estate investor, and he told victims he wanted to build a future with them. Chan's role was to play the investment adviser who'd supposedly helped Love grow a fortune worth tens of millions of dollars.
None of it was real.
Love used phone apps to generate fake bank and brokerage account screens showing balances and returns that didn't exist. Chan sent Love messages pretending to flag new investment openings; Love forwarded those screenshots to victims as proof the opportunity was genuine. The pair also held video calls to walk victims through falsified profit figures.
When a victim ran out of money, court documents say Love sometimes told her to take out a loan. Anyone who asked too many questions or had nothing left to send got blocked, cut off, and robbed of whatever they'd already transferred.
How did they get caught?
Authorities arrested both men when Chan flew from California to meet Love in Boise. Financial records showed the pair had received roughly $1.3 million from victims, first reported in detail by NBC News.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Scheme start date | February 2022 |
| Victims identified | 26 (FBI believes more exist) |
| Total funds received | approx. $1.3 million |
| States affected | Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California |
| Charges | Wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud |
This case fits a pattern Threat Vectr has been tracking: our August report on a $500,000 investment fraud showed how fabricated account dashboards and invented adviser credentials are now standard kit across schemes of very different scales.
Should women who used dating apps around this time be worried?
If you sent money to someone you met on a dating app who claimed to be a professional athlete or a high-return investor, that's a strong warning sign. You don't have to wait for a conviction to act.
Contact your bank immediately if you transferred funds. Speed matters with wire transfers, so ask whether any payments can be recalled. File a report with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, which is actively seeking further information about Love and Chan.
The clearest red flag here is simple: an online partner who introduces an investment opportunity, however convincing the account statements look, is running a script. Real investors don't recruit romantic partners as clients.
