Imagine messaging someone you believe you are falling in love with \u2014 only to discover the person on the other end never existed.<\/p>\n
That moment arrives for thousands of Americans each year, costing them not only heartbreak but real money. The FBI\u2019s Jacksonville field office reported that in 2025 alone, romance scams resulted in more than $22 million in losses.<\/p>\n
A St. Augustine woman says her mother has fallen victim to two fake celebrity profiles on social media.<\/p>\n
The daughter asked not to be identified to protect her mother\u2019s privacy. <\/p>\n
She says her mother believes she is in an online relationship with Yellowstone actor Cole Hauser and television producer John Irwin \u2014 and has spent real money on it.<\/p>\n
She shared with us texts showing her trying to warn her mother about romance scams.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really, I mean, it\u2019s more of a one-way street with my mom,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I tell her that, she doesn\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The daughter says her mother has possibly spent nearly $1,000 believing she was purchasing a meet-and-greet with one of the stars. She says it makes her feel powerless.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. That\u2019s what I think hurts the most, is being so powerless with it,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd one thing, too, that I\u2019m fortunate of is that you did get in touch with me, because I think the biggest thing is awareness. You know, if it\u2019s not for my mom, somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Dakota McDonald with the Nassau County Sheriff\u2019s Office says the pattern is familiar and costly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people end up falling further and further, and they just keep shelling out money, one hand over the other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Many times, he said, the people being scammed never meet the person they are messaging. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the cases, they never met,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When it comes to making arrests, investigators face long odds. McDonald says they are successful around 20% to 30% of the time. <\/p>\n
Fraud is broad and is a growing problem across all of Northeast Florida. Romance scams are a small part of a bigger problem. <\/p>\n
People are receiving phishing texts from fake Apple accounts, fraudulent toll road notices and fake bank alerts. <\/p>\n
Others are losing money to home-buying scams or having their identities stolen outright. The threats are wide-ranging, and investigators say no one is immune.<\/p>\n
The numbers reflect that.<\/p>\n
In Nassau County, fraud cases jumped from 126 in 2021 to 227 in 2025. <\/p>\n
St. Johns County saw fraud reports nearly double, from 682 to 1,227 in that same period. <\/p>\n
Clay County has also seen an overall rise, though the trend recently moved in a more encouraging direction over the last several years. Data sent to us shows cases climbed from 578 in 2021 to 650 in 2025, which was actually three fewer than the year before. Numbers in Clay County have dropped since 2023.<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s advice is simple: pause and verify. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are steps to verify that the people that you talked to are who you were talking to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The daughter had her own message for the people running these scams.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you, with a heart, take from people that don\u2019t have much of anything?\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
The FBI recommends researching anyone who contacts you online, never sharing personal information, and never sending money to someone you have only met on the internet.<\/a> <\/p>\n