A Nevada woman used online dating sites to lure mostly older men into a “romance scam on steroids” that netted her hundreds of thousands of dollars and is linked to at least one death, federal officials said on Friday.
Aurora Phelps, 43, of Las Vegas, is charged with wire fraud, identity theft, and kidnapping resulting in death among other offenses, according to a 21-count superseding indictment from 2023 that’s been revealed by the Justice Department.
Phelps, who also has a residence in Guadalajara, Mexico, is in custody in that country and awaiting extradition to the U.S.
“We believe Aurora Phelps deliberately and methodically targeted older men to drug them and steal from them,” FBI Las Vegas Field Office Special Agent In Charge Spencer Evans said Friday.
Phelps allegedly used prescription sedatives to weaken her victims before making her move, officials said.
“Once she incapacitated her victims, Phelps stole their cars, accessed their bank and brokerage accounts to withdraw cash, used their credit cards to make a variety of purchases, including luxury retail goods and gold and even attempted to access their Social Security and retirement accounts,” he added.
Officials said Phelps also allegedly liquidated millions of dollars of stock from one victim and attempted to seize the proceeds.
During the alleged scam, which lasted from July 2021 to December 2022, Phelps was able to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, and attempted to take millions from her victims, officials say.
In one instance, they said Phelps allegedly kidnapped a victim, sedated him, and took him across the U.S.-Mexico border in a wheelchair to a Mexico City hotel room, where he was found dead hours later.
In another case, a victim allegedly drugged by Phelps was left in a coma.
Three men in total associated with Phelps’s alleged scam have died, and she’s been charged in connection with one of the deaths.
“Mrs. Phelps primarily targeted elderly men; however, she was known to target all age groups as well as women,” the FBI said in a statement.
The bureau shared photos from the 43-year-old’s online dating profiles as part of an agency website seeking more information as part of the investigation into Phelps.
Officials believe there are more people in the U.S. and Mexico who either have information about Phelps or were scammed themselves.
If convicted on all counts, Phelps could face life in prison.
It is unclear when she will be extradited to the U.S. to face charges, or how she will plead.
Evans said Phelps had been on the FBI’s radar for “at least a couple years now,” and that her arrest was in collaboration with Mexican officials.
“The problem with dating online … is you just don’t know who’s on the other end,” Evans told reporters Friday. “Our tips are to be cautious and try to obtain as much personal information as possible.”
