Man posing as Elon Musk scams 74-year-old woman out of more than $250,000, police say
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BRADENTON, Florida (WESH) — Florida officials say they have taken a man pretending to be business mogul and SpaceX founder Elon Musk into custody.
On Wednesday, the Bradenton Police Department arrested Jeffrey Arthur Moynihan Jr., 56, after they say he scammed a Texas woman out of $250,000 — though officials think it could be more.
According to BPD, Moynihan Jr. was impersonating Musk on Facebook in 2023 when a 74-year-old woman befriended him. After exchanging messages for several months, “Musk” encouraged the woman to invest in his businesses, promising her a $55 million return, officers say.
Financial records show that the victim transferred $250,000 to bank accounts owned by Moynihan Jr. and his business, called Jeff’s Painting and Pressure Washing, LLC. Beyond that, the woman’s husband say she has transferred approximately $600,000 to “Elon Musk.”
Clarifying that the real Elon Musk — tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to co-head the all-new “Department of Government Efficiency” — was not being investigated by BPD, officers say Moynihan Jr. was arrested at his home and will be investigated further.
According to BPD, fraud cases involving victims over 60 have resulted in losses of nearly $3 million this year.
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