Florida man claiming to be Elon Musk accused of scamming elderly Frisco woman
FRISCO, Texas - A Florida man is in jail after police said he impersonated tech billionaire Elon Musk to scam an elderly woman in Frisco.
The suspect, 56-year-old Jeffrey Moynihan Jr., is accused of scamming the 74-year-old woman out of more than half a million dollars.
Police in Bradenton, Florida, which is about 45 miles south of Tampa, were tipped off by authorities in Frisco.
They learned that the Frisco woman had given a large sum of money away to someone posing as Musk, who was later identified as Moynihan.
Florida investigators said he and the elderly woman had befriended one another on Facebook in 2023. And they messaged each other daily for several months.
Moynihan allegedly promised the elderly woman a $55 million return if she invested in his business ventures.
Police said Moynihan claimed he had no knowledge of the scam and that he was also a victim.
Elon Musk impersonator accused of stealing up to $600K from woman using Facebook, Bradenton police say
A man pretending to be billionaire Elon Musk on Facebook is facing charges, accused of stealing as much as $600,000 from a woman he befriended on the social network, the Bradenton Police Department said.
"Mr. Moynihan stated that his girlfriend is the mastermind behind it, and that he had no involvement. He is stating he’s never actually met his girlfriend," said Det. Jim Curulla with the Bradenton Police Department.
The victim’s husband told police his wife gave the Musk impersonator $600,000.
Financial records show $250,000 was transferred to accounts she thought were owned by Musk.
Police said the money was actually going to Moynihan’s painting business.