A man accused of posing as a San Francisco 49ers player allegedly used dating apps, luxury cars, a convincing social media presence and fake investment accounts to gain women’s trust and defraud them of approximately $1.3 million. Federal prosecutors allege that Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and his alleged accomplice, Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, received the money from at least 26 women as part of a scheme involving fictitious investments.Love has pleaded not guilty to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating claims from 35 additional women who have come forward, potentially taking the number of victims to 61. Their allegations are still being verified.According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the alleged scheme began in February 2022 and continued until the pair’s arrests on August 24, 2026. Love allegedly presented himself as a professional football player or wealthy real estate investor, while Chan allegedly posed as his financial adviser to convince women that the investments were legitimate.
Woman grows suspicious after matching with alleged scammer on Hinge
Domonique DuBose, who matched with Love on the dating app Hinge, said she became suspicious when he allegedly claimed to be a professional football player. Speaking on The CyberGuy Report podcast, she explained to Fox News how she began investigating his claims rather than relying on his online profile.“Basically, I caught on right away,” DuBose said.Love’s Instagram account reportedly had around 85,000 followers and a blue verification checkmark. His posts featured San Francisco 49ers clothing, expensive cars and football-related imagery, including videos associated with the Super Bowl in New Orleans.“It looked valid. I mean, he had 85,000 followers. He had a blue check,” DuBose recalled.Despite the seemingly credible profile, she continued looking for evidence that Love had actually played for the team. She contacted a friend who had played for the 49ers, who initially believed Love’s claims were plausible. DuBose also checked the team’s roster, injured reserve list and practice squad, as well as his purported college football background.Another detail made her question the account: nearly every photograph appeared to feature 49ers merchandise. According to the report, federal investigators subsequently confirmed with representatives of the NFL and the 49ers that Love had never been employed by either organisation.
Alleged scammer reportedly rushed to get her phone number
DuBose said Love’s advances felt unusually rapid after they connected on Hinge. Instead of sharing her personal number, she gave him her work phone number.“It was really fast how he wanted to get my number,” she told Fox News.She said Love began sending videos and voice recordings almost immediately, while making extravagant claims about his wealth and expressing a desire to spend time with her. One recording played during the podcast interview began, “So what’s up, beautiful? I had to shoot my shot with you.”“And it was just so fast. It was so rapid,” DuBose said, describing the frequency of his messages.She also recalled claims that Love came from a wealthy Swiss family and had ownership interests involving Gucci stores. The claims raised further questions for her about his purported career as a professional football player.
Prosecutors allege Love used multiple identities and fake investment accounts
Daejon Labrayae Love allegedly posed as a San Francisco 49ers player to target women in a $1.3 million fraud scheme involving fake investments. (Photo: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon)
According to court documents cited by the DOJ, Love allegedly used several names, including Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love and Jordan Love, while presenting different professional backgrounds to people he encountered.He allegedly convinced women that they were in genuine romantic relationships with him and told some that he wanted to build wealth and a future together. Prosecutors say he portrayed himself as a sophisticated investor with a fortune worth tens of millions of dollars and promoted fictitious investment opportunities promising substantial returns.Chan allegedly reinforced those claims by posing as Love’s financial adviser. The pair reportedly exchanged electronic messages about supposed investment opportunities, which Love then shared with women to persuade them to transfer money.They also allegedly hosted three-way FaceTime calls during which they displayed fabricated investment gains. Love reportedly used phone applications to create fictitious bank and investment accounts showing large balances, presenting them as evidence of his wealth and the legitimacy of the investments.
Women allegedly encouraged to take out personal loans
According to the DOJ, Love and Chan solicited money through false representations about how the investments would work and the returns they could generate. Some women who did not have enough money to invest were allegedly encouraged to take out personal loans, with promises that they would be repaid quickly.DuBose said some women appeared to receive early investment returns, which encouraged them to invest more. However, federal investigators said none of the victims they interviewed reported receiving actual returns on their principal after sending money to Love and Chan. They also reportedly received no investment account information.Prosecutors allege that Love cut off communication when women ran out of money or began asking too many questions, while retaining the money they had sent.Financial records cited by investigators indicate that Love and Chan received approximately $1.3 million from the women. The alleged victims were based in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California, according to the DOJ.
Love pleads not guilty; judge orders him detained
Love pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A public defender representing him did not respond to a request for comment, according to Fox News.Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo ordered Love detained, citing flight risk.The DOJ said arrest warrants and a criminal complaint against Love and Chan were issued on August 17, 2026, in the District of Oregon. On August 24, Chan allegedly flew from California to meet Love in Boise, Idaho, where the FBI and other law enforcement agencies apprehended both men at Boise Airport.Investigators reportedly learned that Love was in Idaho to meet new potential victims. The investigation also found that he had travelled to New Mexico, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Idaho between July 15 and August 24, 2026.Both men were reported to be in federal custody in Boise following their arrests. The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Bryan Chinwuba and Chris Cardani for the District of Oregon.
FBI says 35 additional women have come forward
The investigation expanded after the FBI reported on September 18 that 35 additional women had come forward with allegations that they had been defrauded. Investigators were still working to verify their claims. If confirmed, the number of identified victims could rise from 26 to 61.DuBose said some women described relationships with Love that had continued for years.“There’s some that dated him for 11, 12, 13 years off and on,” she said.She expressed distress over the alleged exploitation of women’s trust and emotions. “It breaks my heart,” she said, adding that she wanted to confront Love about his alleged actions. “I want to know why.”The FBI has urged anyone with information about Love or Chan to contact the agency through tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Dating app users urged to verify identities independently
DuBose questioned how effectively dating platforms can prevent people from inventing identities.“As far as the dating apps go, you can be whoever you want on those dating apps. And that’s the scary part,” she said.She also described checking phone numbers and attempting to verify the identities of people she meets online.“If you text me the moment you text me, I’m reverse checking your number. I’m making sure your name is valid,” she said.
