 "‘Romance scam on steroids’: How US woman lured, drugged & defrauded elderly men using dating apps")
What started as an online romance for some elderly men turned into a nightmare they never saw coming.
Aurora Phelps, a 43-year-old woman from Las Vegas, is accused of orchestrating a deadly romance scam. Masquerading as a caring companion, Phelps allegedly used dating apps to lure lonely elderly men into her trap. And instead of love, her victims found themselves drugged, defrauded, and, in some cases, dead.
Now, the US’ top investigative agency Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has pulled back the curtain, with shocking details of stolen fortunes, deception, and tragic deaths emerging. Here’s what the investigators uncovered in the chilling operation and why they believe there may be more victims out there.
‘Romance scam on steroids’
According to the FBI, Aurora Phelps—who used multiple aliases and had homes in both Las Vegas and Guadalajara, Mexico—targeted elderly men through dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble. Authorities say she “deliberately and methodically targeted older men to drug them and steal from them," gaining access to their bank, social security, and retirement accounts.
“This is technically a romance scam, but this is a romance scam on steroids,” Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas division, said. “We have not seen one like this in recent history that’s as nefarious, as sinister.”
So far, investigators have identified 11 victims, three of whom tragically lost their lives between 2019 and 2022 due to Phelps’s scam.
Phelps’ crime spree is believed to have started in July 2021, when she met her first known victim, an elderly man, through an online dating service. After several lunch dates in Las Vegas, she attempted to persuade him to travel with her to Mexico. Months later, in November, she visited his home and arranged for lunch to be delivered. But after eating, the man lost consciousness and remained disoriented for nearly five days—allegedly drugged by Phelps.
During that time, prosecutors say she ransacked his home, stealing his iPhone, iPads, driver’s licence, and bank cards. She also accessed his financial accounts, transferring money, making unauthorised purchases, and attempting to sell $3.3 million worth of his Apple stock. However, she was unable to move the money out of his account.
By December 2021, she had moved on to another victim, whom she met at a hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico. While prosecutors did not specify what exactly happened to the man, they count him among her victims because she allegedly “caused him to disappear.”
Over the next year, she made ATM withdrawals from his accounts, transferred money to her own, and even stole his BMW. Federal authorities say she also tried to make herself a beneficiary of his union retirement account.
In May 2022, Phelps met yet another man in Guadalajara. The day after they spent time together, his daughter tried to call him, but he never answered. Concerned, she alerted Mexican police, who conducted a welfare check and found the man dead on the floor of his home.
Soon after, prosecutors say Phelps accessed his financial accounts, attempting to conduct transactions, including purchasing a gold coin and having it mailed to her home. Following the same pattern, she allegedly continued siphoning money from the deceased man’s accounts, trying to seize whatever assets she could.
Also read: How deepfake romance scammers stole $46 million from men in India, China, Singapore
‘Just a regular housewife’
In December 2023, William Phelps was blindsided when a dozen FBI agents arrived at his home and revealed shocking allegations about his wife’s involvement in a fraudulent romance scheme.
“We’ve known each other for 14 years, and she’s never shown a sign or an ounce of this,” he told The Times. “If she did do it, damn, she put one over on me."
To William, Aurora had always been just a regular housewife—someone who loved to sing and clean. He never suspected she could be involved in anything criminal.
“She’s not the kind of person to kill somebody or drug somebody, but then again, you don’t know who anybody is,” he said.
According to The LA Times, the couple first met when she was working as a server at IHOP. William knew she had once been in a band with her ex-husband and had three children from that marriage. Beyond that, he knew little about her past.
The 43-year-old woman held dual citizenship in Mexico and the US. She had spent parts of her childhood in both countries, and William recalled that her broken English often made communication between them difficult. Still, nothing in her behaviour had ever suggested she was capable of the crimes now laid out against her.
When the FBI raided their home, William was initially suspected, as his wife had transferred some money into his accounts. However, he later passed a polygraph test, clearing him of any involvement.
Also read: Why FBI is warning Android, iPhone users to delete texts immediately
Are there more victims?
The FBI believes there may be additional victims and is encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
“If you know of someone else who has possibly been victimised by Aurora Phelps, please encourage them to complete the form themselves,” the agency stated in an official notice.
Phelps has been charged with more than 20 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, kidnapping, and kidnapping resulting in death. She remains in custody in Mexico as authorities work with the Department of Justice and Mexican officials to secure her extradition to the US, reports AP. If convicted on all charges, she could face life in prison.
With input from agencies
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