The FBI says 35 more women have come forward in the case of an alleged fake 49ers player accused of using dating apps to scam women out of their money. If the new reports are verified, the number of alleged victims would climb to more than 60.
Portland FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Olson announced the new count Friday. He said investigators are still working to confirm that all 35 women were targeted by the same two men, and that the FBI believes there are more victims out there. Olson said agents were “surprised how many people were victimized in such a short period of time.”
The men accused of running the fake 49ers player scheme are Daejon Love, 35, and Taylor Chan, 18. Both were arrested August 24 at the Boise, Idaho airport and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Wire fraud is a federal crime that covers schemes to take someone’s money using phones, the internet or other electronic communication. Neither man has been convicted.
According to federal prosecutors in Oregon, Love met most of the women online through dating apps. He allegedly presented himself as wealthy, often claiming to be a player for the San Francisco 49ers and other times a rich real estate investor. Prosecutors say he built romantic relationships with many of the women and talked about building a future together.
Then came the money. Prosecutors say Love pitched investments that did not exist and promised big returns for both of them. Chan allegedly posed as Love’s financial adviser, the person supposedly growing Love’s fortune into tens of millions of dollars. The pair allegedly held group FaceTime calls to show the women fake investment gains, and Love used phone apps to create phony bank and investment account balances.
The payouts never came. Prosecutors say none of the women interviewed ever received returns or any account information. Once a woman ran out of money or started asking too many questions, Love allegedly blocked her and kept what she had sent.
According to the criminal complaint, the pair took more than $1.3 million from 26 known victims in at least four states between February 2022 and their arrest. Many of the women are from Washington and Oregon. The FBI opened its investigation in September 2024.
The fake 49ers player persona also leaned on technology. The FBI says Love used AI enhanced images to back up his fake identities and manipulated Google search results so a quick search would not raise any red flags. Posts on X also claimed Google’s AI Overview listed him as a 49ers wide receiver.
The real 49ers organization is not accused of anything. Olson said the team was completely cooperative with investigators.
Olson said the women were targeted because they were trusting, responsible people who believed their relationships and financial futures were real. His advice to anyone meeting someone online is to “verify with other real people and individuals, not just on the internet.” The FBI is asking anyone who believes they were targeted in the scheme to come forward.
