Caleb Mills (Athens-Clarke County Police Department).
A Georgia man spent months believing he was engaged to a female sheriff's deputy he had never met, even sending the person money and letting them use his car, according to police. It turns out that the individual was allegedly a man.
Caleb Mills, 25, used stolen photographs, multiple telephone numbers, voice-changing technology and artificial intelligence to conjure up his fictitious identity, "Hailey Morello," in a bid to "defraud unsuspecting victims," according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department press release.
One of Mills' victims allegedly believed he was engaged to "Hailey" and exchanged vehicles with Mills, along with giving him an undisclosed amount of money. Cops say Mills used photos of a sheriff's deputy in Florida to form the fake identity.
"Mills allegedly used photos taken from women's social media accounts to create fake identities and accounts … to establish online relationships with victims," the ACCPD release alleges. "Detectives have identified additional victims across multiple states."
The family of the man who thought he was engaged to "Hailey" told authorities they were suspicious and believed their loved one was the victim of a "catfishing scheme," according to local NBC affiliate WXIA.
Relatives allegedly connected Mills to the online personality and tried to warn the victim but he refused to believe them, according to police. The family was so upset that they repeatedly contacted Mills, which led to his filing a harassment claim with police — posing as "Hailey," WXIA reports.
While investigating the claim, police uncovered Mills' alleged "catfish" scam and discovered that he posed as Hailey's family member to report the harassment he claimed she was experiencing.
Mills was arrested on charges of identity fraud involving fictitious identifying information, impersonating a public officer, giving a false name to law enforcement and two counts of making false statements in a government matter.
He is accused of giving investigators a false name, "Alex Morello," before he was taken into custody. Police are still investigating whether Mills had more victims.
"As technology and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, online scams and catfishing schemes can become increasingly sophisticated," the ACCPD release said. "If you believe you may be a victim of this investigation or any other fraudulent activity, please contact the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and file a report."