A Florida man was arrested for scamming a 92-year-old man, posing as his love interest, and stealing $800k from him. The 92-year-old man from Sun City became Otiz Swinton Jr.’s prey since he was lonely. He had no family or friends in the area and may have been looking for a connection.
He found that connection in Swinton who only had ill intentions towards the man. The 37 year old Otiz Swinton Jr. was arrested on April 30. He has been charged for several counts of fraud. Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time he is involved in something illegal. He was planning this crime right from the prison where he was convicted of stealing $1 million seven years ago.
He stole over a million from 50 people and resorted to the same crime once he got out of jail. His initial conversation with the 92-year-old victim started when he was still serving the sentence. Earlier, Swinton Jr. was in prison for scamming seniors by telling them they had fraudulent charges on their credit cards.
37-year-old Otiz Swinton Jr. has been arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in connection with scamming a 92-year-old man out of over $800,000. https://t.co/JscJWWXqSF
— ABC Action News (@abcactionnews) May 2, 2025
He would then ask them to mail the cards to resolve the issue. This way, he scammed millions. He found the elderly to be an easy target to fool and drain them of their life saving. In the current case, Swinton Jr. made the victim transfer money to his Wells Fargo account from his Fidelity account. He withdrew the money from the ATM, cryptocurrency, and multiple other methods.
Moreover, five counterfeit checks were payable from the victim’s account, which amounted to $14,300. He also made $5,000 charges to his card. This was from March 13 to April 2, when he had just gotten out of jail. Even after serving time in jail, he did not rectify his actions and went back to scam seniors.
Inmates Are Scamming Senior Citizens Out Of Millions From Prison Cell Phones w/ @AmericasLawyer
A 37-year-old Florida man has been charged with additional crimes following a stint in prison. While in prison, Otiz Swinton Jr. started a relationship with a 92-year-old senior… pic.twitter.com/AswTj85Ipu
— The Ring of Fire (@RingOfFireMedia) June 24, 2025
The first contact with the 92-year-old victim dates back to June 2022. Swinton was playing a long game to scam the man by pretending to be a woman as a love interest. Lately, romance scams have increased as they take advantage of seniors’ loneliness and lack of agency with others.
Some may not even go to the police despite getting scammed due to embarrassment or not even being aware what to do in such situations. There have been over 13 768 romance scams with a loss of $280 million in 2025, according to the FTC data.
It’s easy to say that they should not fall for scammers, but they are believable and have tactics to prey on already vulnerable groups. However, a person must follow a few rules, including not sending gift cards online, sending money, or crypto to someone you haven’t even met once. No person will ask you to deliver your card to resolve an issue.
If you get such a scam call, it’s best to call your bank and ask for more details for confirmation. In most cases, they will advise you not to share such details. Moreover, if someone promises you money schemes online, it may turn out to be a fraud.
How scammers are trying to steal your card
1) Automated SMS sending
2) Phishing website (impersonating DHL, postal services, toll..)
3) Stolen card info + SMS multi-factor code
4) Add card to Google or Apple wallet of scammer
5) Make online or offline payment without knowing PIN pic.twitter.com/kU52cJ7oFQ
— Mobile Hacker (@androidmalware2) May 4, 2025
For those who fall for romance scams, it’s better to be vigilant, do a reverse image search on the person, and ask for an ID before meeting to verify. Take time to build trust and relationships. If you’re a senior, find groups and agencies to rely on. Discuss such things to be more aware, since scammers rely on isolating the victim.
