Las Vegas Romance Scammer Phelps Swindles Seniors Out of Thousands

Aurora Phelps, a 21-count superseding indictment has charged with swindling older men she met through online dating services out of thousands of dollars for her personal benefit. The 21-count superseding indictment also includes charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, kidnapping, and kidnapping resulting in death.

Aurora Phelps, a resident of Las Vegas and Guadalajara, Mexico, is currently in custody in Mexico. The indictment was handed down in September 2023, and Phelps is facing a slew of serious charges for allegedly luring older men into sending her large sums of money.

"The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protect our seniors from fraudulent schemes targeting their hearts and bank accounts," said United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. "We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI and other partner agencies to investigate and prosecute financial exploitation crimes and bring criminals to justice."

The FBI Las Vegas Division has launched a renewed effort to protect older citizens from fraudulent and other criminal schemes that cost the United States billions of dollars and threaten to victimize over 100,000 elder Americans each year. "It is essential that we educate the public, specifically our seniors, about the devastating effects of elder fraud schemes," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafik Mattar for the FBI Las Vegas Division. "These schemes are critical to protecting them and their hard-earned money."

The National Elder Fraud Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11, is available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, don’t hesitate to reach out to the National Elder Fraud Hotline. Reporting is the first step in bringing these criminals to justice and recovering losses. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, at www.ovc.gov.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP.

Aurora Phelps’ case is a stark reminder of the devastating effects of romance scams and the importance of protecting our seniors from these types of crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI Las Vegas Division are committed to bringing perpetrators like Phelps to justice and ensuring that our seniors are safe from falling victim to these deceitful criminals.

As the nation marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI Las Vegas Division are urging older Americans to be cautious when online dating and to report any suspicious activity to the authorities.