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Florida woman swindled man out of $2K in alleged romance scam
A Florida woman has been arrested, accused of swindling a man out of more than $2,000 in an alleged romance scam, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies said Gianna Abel-Venezia met her victim via Facebook Dating and claimed she was trapped in a domestic violence relationship and needed help. That man sent her more than $2,000, officials said. He confronted the woman about it, who apparently admitted to scamming him. She also reportedly said that she had been doing this since 2025. When interviewed, Abel-Venezia told deputies that she knew what she was doing was morally wrong, but claimed that if people were "dumb enough" to send her money, that was on them, MCSO said. She was arrested and booked into jail. Detectives believe there could be more victims out there.
MARION COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida teen is accused of pretending to be a domestic violence victim to scam a man she met on Facebook Dating out of thousands of dollars.
The alleged scam was reported by the victim, who told deputies he believes he's an easy target due to having a disability.
What we know:
The Marion County Sheriff's office arrested Gianna Abel-Venezia, 19, after claims that she scammed a man for $2,000.
Abel-Venezia allegedly met the man on Facebook and began dating in March, the sheriff's office said in an arrest affidavit, telling him she was trapped in a domestic violence relationship and needed money to escape. The woman sent images to the man appearing to have injuries on her face, an arrest affidavit said.
The man sent Abel-Venezia some money and later another $2,000, the sheriff's office said.
Sheriff's office: Suspect ‘doubles down’
According to an arrest affidavit, when the man found out he was being scammed – after seeing a pregnancy announcement on Abel-Venezia's Facebook – he confronted her about the scam.
While speaking to investigators, Abel-Venezia admitted to knowing the victim and pretending to be in a domestic violence situation to solicit money, the affidavit said. She confessed, "It would be an easy way to get money from the victim," the arrest affidavit said. She claimed she's been running this scam since 2025, MCSO said.
The sheriff's office said Abel-Venezia "doubled down" on her story, saying she didn't think what she did was illegal and "if they are dumb enough to take your money, it's on them."
Abel-Venezia is facing a felony charge of fraud-swindle.
What you can do:
The sheriff's office believes other people may be involved in Abel-Venezia's alleged scheme.
Anyone living in Marion County who thinks they may have been affected is asked to contact the sheriff's office at 352-402-6022.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Marion County Sheriff's office.