Las Vegas woman charged in dating app drugging scheme linked to older man's death
Aurora Phelps, a 43‐year‐old dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, is accused of orchestrating a deadly romance scam that targeted older men through popular dating apps. According to FBI officials, Phelps lured at least four vulnerable men by connecting with them on platforms such as Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble. Once she had earned their trust, she allegedly drugged them with prescription sedatives, leaving them incapacitated and easy targets for a series of financial crimes.
In one disturbing incident, Phelps is accused of over-sedating a victim, keeping him mostly unconscious for about five days while she gained access to his accounts. During this period, she stole his personal devices, identification, and bank cards. The indictment further alleges that she even tapped into his E-Trade account to sell Apple stock valued at roughly $3.3 million—though she did not manage to withdraw the funds.
Authorities report that the scam resulted in devastating consequences. Three of the men have died, and one victim, after waking from a coma, recounted that he had been given sedatives over an entire week. In a particularly alarming case, Phelps is said to have kidnapped a victim by heavily sedating him, transporting him in a wheelchair across the U.S.-Mexico border, and then taking him to a hotel room in Mexico City, where he was later found dead.
After incapacitating her victims, Phelps allegedly stole their vehicles, withdrew money from their bank accounts, used their credit cards to purchase luxury items and gold, and even attempted to access their social security and retirement accounts. Family members of the victims began reporting their loved ones missing after they were unable to reach them following dates set up via the dating apps.
The FBI, which had been monitoring Phelps for a couple of years, described the operation as “a romance scam on steroids.” Currently in custody in Mexico, Phelps faces 21 charges—including multiple counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, and a kidnapping charge that resulted in death. If convicted on all counts, she could be sentenced to life in prison.
The investigation is ongoing, with authorities in both the United States and Mexico collaborating closely in efforts to secure her extradition and identify any additional victims who may have fallen prey to her elaborate scheme.
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