Fake 49ers player stole $1.3M in romance scam: a script we know very well

What you need to know…

• A man posed as a San Francisco 49ers player on dating apps. He stole about $1.3 million from 26 women over more than four years.
• He and his fake “financial adviser” were arrested at Boise airport on August 24. Love was there to meet new victims.
• The script is not new. Our English-language database holds more than 1,200 romance scam reports. The most viewed involves a fake US general with nearly 9,600 views.
• The warning signs are easy to spot once you know them. We list them below.

The fake player and his “adviser”

Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, posed as a wealthy NFL player. Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, played his “adviser”. Court documents say he also posed as a real estate investor. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges come from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

The pair were arrested on August 24 at Boise airport, in Idaho. Arrest warrants had been issued on August 17. Love was in Idaho to meet new victims, according to court documents. Their first court appearance was scheduled for August 27.

From February 2022 to the arrests, the scheme collected about $1.3 million. At least 26 women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California were hit. The FBI believes there are many more victims. Love used several names, including Jon Love, Avril Lyto Love and Jordan Love, as CBS News reported.

Love met most of his victims on dating apps. His Instagram showed him in 49ers gear, posing near expensive cars. Court documents describe fictitious personas and a lavish lifestyle, presented in person and on social media. Prosecutors shared a screenshot of an app showing more than $5 million in cash and $15 million in investments.

How the scheme worked

The mechanics are documented in the criminal complaint. CBS News and the New York Post covered the details. Step by step:

1. The profile. A handsome, wealthy, famous man contacts you on a dating app. He wants a future with you.
2. The romance. Love told victims he wanted to build wealth and a future together. Several women believed they were in sincere romantic relationships.
3. The adviser. Chan posed as Love’s financial adviser. The two exchanged messages about investments. Love sent screenshots to victims. FaceTime calls showed fake gains.
4. The proof. Phone applications displayed fictitious bank and investment balances. Victims saw numbers, not statements.
5. The squeeze. Victims with no cash left were encouraged to take out personal loans. Love promised they would be repaid quickly.
6. The cut-off. When victims ran out of money or asked too many questions, Love blocked them. None of the victims interviewed ever received a return on their money.

We have seen this script before

Romance scams are one of the most documented categories in our database. Our English-language platform holds 1,224 reports linked to romance and dating scams. 57 of them were filed in 2026 alone.

The most viewed example is the fake General Richard D. Clarke Jr, reported in 2022. The profile borrowed the name of a real US Army general, a classic trick of military romance scams. Its report page has nearly 9,600 views, and victims keep commenting.

“All of our stories are the same… it is almost like they are reading from a script,” wrote one victim. Another victim watched the account change names. “General Paul LaCamera” became General Richard D Clarke, same account.

The investment side of the script shows the same mechanics. An 82-year-old retiree reported SmartPlus Trading Platform, a Telegram group promising returns. She invested $200 and watched fake profits climb past $4,600. Then she paid 15% to “claim” them. She never received anything.

The platforms change names, the pattern does not. Recent reports include bithubtrade.biz, scored at 1% trust on ScamDoc, and bivaax.trade, also at 1%. Some are already gone. Others, like cryptorpg.net and sharqinvestment.com, were still online when this article was written.

Red flags

• A wealthy, famous or high-ranking profile that falls in love fast and brings up money within weeks.
• “Guaranteed” returns on investments that nobody else can see.
• A third person who confirms the story, such as an adviser or a lawyer.
• Screenshots of accounts and balances instead of real statements.
• Requests for personal loans, gift cards, gold or crypto.
• Communication ends the moment questions are asked.

What to do

1. Stop all contact. Do not send another dollar. Scammers escalate when you hesitate.
2. Report it. File a complaint with the FBI’s IC3 or tips.fbi.gov. Report the profile to the dating app. Then file a report on ScamWatcher. The next victim needs the warning.
3. Talk to someone you trust. Isolation is part of the mechanism. Banks and fraud departments can help if payments were made, but only if you act quickly.

If someone you met online asks for money, check the platform and the domain on ScamDoc. In this script, the answer is almost always the same: 1% trust, 100% fiction.