Fake Elon Musk arrested in Florida after $600,000 Facebook scam

In Florida, a scammer who posed as billionaire Elon Musk was arrested after duping a 74-year-old Texas resident out of nearly $600,000.

Jeffrey Moynihan Jr., 56, befriended the woman on Facebook during 2023, and throughout their "friendship" tried to convince her to invest in companies that were fake, with the promise of giving her in return a profit of up to $55 million.

Authorities in Frisco, Texas, called Florida to alert police in Bradenton, about 45 miles south of Tampa, after discovering the scammer.

The scammed woman sent up to $250,000 to different accounts linked to Moynihan's painting businesses, thinking they were Elon Musk accounts.

The woman's husband, whose name was not released, said the amounts of the scam amount to $600,000, so authorities are investigating where the rest of the money is.

The Bradenton Police Department's Elder Fraud Unit arrested Moynihan, who now faces charges of grand theft and identity theft.

In addition, he faces charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

The woman, once she realized the fraud, reported the incident to the FBI in April 2024 when all investigations into the case were initiated.

Moynihan was arrested on November 19 at his home in Bradenton, while police said in a statement that the real Elon Musk was involved with the launch of SpaceX.

The history of fraud

After the first investigations, it was revealed that the relationship between Moynihan and the 74-year-old woman began through the social network Facebook in 2023, after Moynihan created a fake profile with Musk's name and image.

Bradenton police detective Jim Curulla said he was alerted by authorities in Frisco, Texas, who were investigating a fraud case after a woman allegedly handed over a huge amount of money to a person posing as the Tesla owner.

"The victim was convinced that he had invested his money in Elon Musk's companies and that he would receive in return a profit of $55 million," authorities said.

The investigation is ongoing as Frisco authorities work to trace the rest of the woman's money.

They revealed that Moynihan knew how to put together the strategy for the fraud on his victim and gain her trust, as he made some publications of public events of Elon Musk himself, which made the conversations seem real.