Man Was Engaged to a Florida Deputy He’d Never Met and Would Let Her Use His Car. Then Discovers She Never Existed After 1 Phone Call: ‘In Shock’

A Georgia man believed he was engaged to a Florida sheriff’s deputy named “Hailey Morello.” He had never met her in person, but he trusted her enough to send her money and let her use his car. Then police asked him to make one phone call. When he called, another man answered, revealing that the woman he planned to marry did not exist.

The call allegedly rang on the phone of 25-year-old Caleb Jonquay Mills, a South Carolina man whom investigators say had been pretending to be Hailey. According to 11Alive, which cited an Athens-Clarke County police report, the victim was “in shock” when officers explained what they believed had happened.

Police allege Mills created the Hailey identity using photos taken from the Facebook account of a real female sheriff’s deputy in Florida. He allegedly created fake social media accounts and used technology to alter his voice during phone calls, allowing him to maintain the identity while building a relationship with the Georgia man.

His Family Had Been Warning Him About the Relationship

The victim’s family grew suspicious of the relationship and tried to convince him that he was the victim of a catfishing scam. Their concerns created tension between them, and relatives eventually conducted their own investigation and identified Mills as the person they believed was behind the fictitious identity, according to 11Alive.

Police responded to a family dispute at the victim’s apartment on July 11. During the incident, “Hailey” reportedly joined the conversation over speakerphone and identified herself as a law enforcement officer, apparently reinforcing the victim’s belief that she was real.

The situation became even stranger the next day. The man called police and reported that his family was harassing him. He also questioned an officer’s treatment of Hailey, according to 11Alive.

The same person allegedly called again four days later to ask what police had done about the complaint. Investigators eventually suspected Mills had made both calls while pretending to be the victim.

A police supervisor reportedly noticed that the calls came from a South Carolina area code rather than the phone number officers had on file for the victim. That detail helped investigators take a closer look at what was happening.

One Phone Call Allegedly Exposed the Whole Thing

On July 20, an investigator went to the victim’s apartment and saw his vehicle arrive. The officer reportedly recognized the driver as Mills, who allegedly introduced himself as “Alex Morello” and claimed Caleb Mills was his brother.

The investigator then asked the victim who had his car. The victim reportedly said his fiancée had it, so the officer instructed him to call her. The phone allegedly started ringing on Mills’ phone.

According to the police report cited by 11Alive, the victim was “in shock” when investigators told him they believed Mills had been posing as his fiancée. The alleged deception had apparently gone far beyond a fake profile, with police saying the victim had sent money to Hailey and allowed her to use his vehicle.

Investigators also suspect Mills may have stayed inside the victim’s apartment without his knowledge while the victim was at work, according to 11Alive. Police allege Mills and the victim had exchanged vehicles as part of the relationship, despite the two never meeting in person.

According to the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, officers arrested Mills on July 20 on charges including identity fraud and other alleged offenses. Police allege he used photographs of women from social media to create fictitious identities and establish online relationships.

The department said in a Sept. 3 Facebook post that detectives had identified additional alleged victims across multiple states. Police urged potential victims to file a report and warned that evolving technology and artificial intelligence give scammers increasingly sophisticated tools for catfishing schemes.

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