A 92-year-old man from Sun City Center, Florida, is out $800,000 after getting caught up in a romance and bank scam allegedly coordinated by a 37-year-old man who is now behind bars.
"This was an individual who was lonely," Amanda Granit, a spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, said of the victim to Fox 13 Tampa Bay in a story published May 2. "[He] didn’t have family or friends in the area. He was in a facility, and he was looking for connection. And unfortunately, he found it in the wrong place."
Otiz Swinton Jr. was arrested in Orlando on April 30 and has been charged with multiple counts of fraud. This isn’t the first time he’s been linked to a criminal case involving seniors.
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Here’s what happened, and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim of a romance scam.
Senior citizens targeted
Swinton Jr. was already serving a prison sentence when he initiated contact with his victim, police say.
"Seven years ago, he was convicted of stealing more than $1 million from more than 50 people in Sun City Center," Granit said.
According to Fox 13, police say that offense involved the scammer telling seniors they had fraudulent charges on their credit cards and needed to mail the cards to him to resolve the problem.
In this latest incident, police say the victim transferred money from his Fidelity account into his Wells Fargo account. The funds were allegedly withdrawn to multiple individuals via a cryptocurrency platform, peer-to-peer transactions, ATM withdrawals and other methods.
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From March 13 to April 2, five counterfeit checks were allegedly made payable to Swinton Jr. from the victim’s bank account, totaling $14,300, while over $5,000 in charges were made on the victim’s card. Fox 13 reports the suspect had just been released from jail.
Police say the victim was targeted as early as June 2022.
How to protect against romance scams
Romance scams are incredibly common. As of March 31, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had received 13,768 reports of romance scams in 2025, with losses totaling $280 million.
The good news is, there are ways to avoid them. The number one way to not fall victim is to simply not send money, gift cards, crypto or anything else of value to someone you haven’t met in person.
The FTC also advises those making new friends online not believe promises anyone makes about helping you make money. One should also be suspicious if a person refuses to meet, and do a reverse image search of any pictures you receive to ensure they’re legitimate. It’s a good idea as well to tell a trusted friend about your interactions so you can get their opinion about whether things are above board.
In this particular case, the victim was 92 and in an assisted living facility. Seniors living in isolation or experiencing cognitive decline can be ripe targets for scammers. That’s why it’s important for loved ones of people who are aging to stay on top of things and make sure they’re safe, and, if necessary, pursue guardianship and take over management of their assets if it appears they could be vulnerable to scammers.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
