Last month, Daejon Love became an internet sensation after being arrested for defrauding at least 26 women out of about $1.3 million. Love pulled off the scam for several years with the alleged help of 18-year-old Taylor Chan. Recently, the FBI announced that the number of victims, as they predicted, might have grown by at least 35 more alleged victims.
RELATED: Yikes! Man Arrested After Posing As San Francisco 49ers Player To Scam At Least 26 Women Out Of $1.3 Million
New Update On Daejon Love Cites New Victims
According to ESPN, the FBI is investigating whether at least 35 additional women got GOT by Daejon Love and Taylor Chan. Portland FBI Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson provided the update in the case, saying they’re still in the verification stage.
“We were surprised how many people were victimized in such a short period of time and then to have that many more come forward,” Olson said at a news conference, per ESPN. “It’s a large volume for just a couple of subjects. Our concern is that this fraud could be replicated by other individuals that are out there victimizing other people in similar schemes.”
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While the total number of alleged victims could be at least 60, the FBI thinks there may be many more who just haven’t come forward yet. Olson said they don’t want people who were potentially defrauded to be fearful or embarrassed by identifying themselves. “…we want to help them and we want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” the agent reportedly added.
Olson also clarified that Daejon Love didn’t always assume the fake 49ers player persona. However, he did leverage it often as evidence of his income level.
“He was either a player, former player, a player on injured reserve, and whatever name he was using, he’d put enough stuff into the media searches so it was the first thing that came up on people’s [Google] page,” Olson reportedly said. “And it was not just the first thing that came up; it was like there were multiple things in there that would confirm whatever he was telling those folks.. … The sports thing was always like a big part of it because you have to have some source of initial income to be an investor.”
FBI Initially Identified 26 Victims In Fraud Case
When the Daejon Love news first broke in late August, the FBI had identified at least 26 alleged victim investors. These woman had handed over a collective $1.3 million. As said, the 35-year-old had posed as an NFL player over a series of years. Resurfaced social media videos showed Love practicing fitness drills while wearing 49ers gear, including a branded headband and helmet.
Together, Daejon Love and Taylor Chan presented Love as an experienced and profitable investor to women who sometimes believed they were in a romantic relationship with him. They created fake bank and investment accounts and exchanged investment related communications. Daejon then passed on screenshots of the fake comms and accounts to encourage victims to trust him with their money. In some cases, Love encouraged the women to take out personal loans, promising quick returns. As victims became suspicious with questions or ran out of coins to invest, Daejon Love would allegedly block them while keeping their money.
Ultimately, he and Taylor Chan were arrested on August 24 at an Idaho airport after Chan flew their to meet Daejon in a ploy to defraud more victims. This came several days after the FBI issued warrants on August 17. The criminal complaint cited conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud allegations against the men. Between July 15 and the day of their arrest, the Love had traveled to at least six states, still running the scam. Their first court appearance was scheduled for August 27.
Social Media Weighs In As Love’s Scam Resurfaces
With the new update on Daejon Love, there are fresh takes on what he’s accused of doing. While some are cracking jokes about the plot thickening, others are shaking their heads at how deep the fake pro-athlete-and-investor scheme ran. And a few stood on that “they got what they were looking for” hill about the alleged victims.
@modelcitizen90 commented, “My boy took ‘you can be whatever you want to be’ to heart.”
“I don’t feel bad for them at all bc you can easily look up a football roster😂,” @ihearttexoticc added.
“Him and Dr. Bryant has shown me that I’m not lying to my full potential in life 😂,” @chi3f90 said.
“The fact he got all these women is crazy….google is FREE,” @_shelovesflowers wrote.
“I don’t feel sorry for the “victims” because if a man is a NFL player why would he need your money?🫣 like let’s think logically here,” @theprincessru commented.
“I would NEVER come forward… 😂 I would just take the L and keep it moving….,” @sequoianeff wrote.
“Free him!!! Women be to “pick me”😅 cuz Not a single clip , pic or text Ive seen about this man would EVER convince me to send him my coins. 😂,”@flawednfabulous added.
