A Sun City Hilton Head man lost more than $800,000 in a cryptocurrency romance scam that unfolded over the course of a year, according to a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
On July 29, a father and son came to the sheriff’s office Hilton Head Island substation to report that one of them – the father – fell victim to a “large scale ‘romance scam’ over the last calendar year.
The victim’s son said he first became aware of the situation when his father told him he was planning on listing his Sun City house for sale because investment markets were down. His son asked where he heard information about investment markets, and was concerned because he knew his father had a “substantial” amount of money in savings and retirement accounts.
After looking into the situation, the son quickly realized that starting in July 2025, his father had met a woman on OnlyFans or a similar type of website who had begun flattering and showing interest in him.
After moving their conversation over to WhatsApp, the woman presented the victim with an opportunity to invest in money in digital currency markets. The man was unaware of how to transfer money into cryptocurrency, but was guided by the scammer. The scammer showed pictures of the alleged cryptocurrency account with significant gains that he could only access by “paying the taxes” first.
The son wasn’t sure exactly how much money his father lost through the scam, but estimated it to be between $800,000 and $900,000.
After this, his son received power of attorney over his father’s finances, canceling his credit and debit cards and closing his associated bank accounts. He has also changed his phone, email and has set up two-factor authentication for any active accounts.
His son filed an internet crime complaint report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a report with the Federal Trade Commission. He and his father also met a Secret Service Agent, who told them that because of the cryptocurrency money transfers, the funds were unlikely to be recovered.
Romance scams are a common scheme, with scammers reaching out to elderly victims online.
A Hilton Head Island woman lost hundreds of dollars in January 2026 as part of an elaborate scam where scammers posing as her “boyfriend” said he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She sent the money in an effort for his release.
These scams often ask for cryptocurrency or gift cards in their money exchanges.
As of 2024, South Carolina had the seventh-highest rate of fraud cases in the United States.
