Florida Man Posing as Elon Musk Scammed Woman of Almost $600K in Investment Scam

A Florida man pretending to be one of the richest men in the world - Elon Musk - promised a Texas woman he would provide a return on her investment totaling $56,000,000 USD. Instead, he was stringing her along for months to gain her trust before stealing her money.

Jeffrey Moynihan was arrested after scamming a woman. (source: Bradenton Police Department)

WAFF 48 News reported that a 74-year-old woman from Texas believed the man she met on Facebook was the real Elon Musk. After exchanging messages for months, she gave him almost $600,000 USD of her money because he promised her he would increase her return on the investment to $56 million.

Jeffrey Moynihan is his Real Name, Not Elon Musk

The man scamming her was Jeffrey Moynihan (seen in the image above), and he was arrested by Bradenton Police department, which is on US 41 between Tampa and Sarasota, Florida. He pleaded "no contest" to the charges and received almost 30 years of probation as a result of his crimes.

A representative of the Bradenton police department said:

“A lot of times, people that are older may not have such a large social group,” said a representative. “And if you’re home alone, you know, for a day or two or whatever, and someone calls you or sends an email, and it’s a very friendly email, it can really trick people.”

The important thing is that Jeffrey Moynihan was caught by authorities trying to impersonate Elon Musk and hopefully this is a wake up call for him and he will stop his dangerous behavior of trying to scam honest people out of their money.

What to do if you have been Contacted by a Suspicious Person on Facebook

If you think you are being targeted by a scammer, there are ways to protect yourself. 

• First, stop all communication immediately. 
• Next, alert a trusted family member, a friend, or a neighbor about what has been going on. Tell them as many details as possible so they can help. 
• Third, report the incident to your local police department, including the contact information for the individual. 

Here is a graphic with tips to protect yourself.

How to Protect Yourself and Others