‘Romance scam’ raked in $3 million, NC cops say. Suspect extradited from Florida
A woman masquerading online as a man netted millions of dollars from a romance scam that targeted the old and the lonely, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.
The con duped victims across multiple states over the past six years, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 26 news release.
“On December 22 ... the Craven County Sheriff’s Office received a report involving a romance scam in excess of $100,000. An investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau identified Christina Jane Julian, 56, of Naples, Florida, as the perpetrator,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The investigation revealed that Christina Julian received approximately $3 million over the last six years from multiple victims across the country by scamming them.”
She was extradited from Florida to Craven County on Jan. 21, and has been charged with “felony obtaining property by false pretense in excess of $100,000 and felony exploiting the elderly,” the sheriff’s office said. Bond was set at $350,000.
Specific details of the scam were not released, but court documents report a North Carolina woman paid $139,900 in August, believing she was helping a man get back to the United States.
Investigators did not say how the “elder” victim and suspect connected online.
The Federal Trade Commission reports romance scams prey on people who use online dating apps or social networking sites to meet people.
“Scammers say they can’t meet you in person. They might say they’re living or traveling outside the country, working on an oil rig, in the military, or working with an international organization,” the FTC says.
“Scammers will ask you for money. Once they gain your trust, they’ll ask for your help to pay medical expenses (for them or a family member), buy their ticket to visit you, pay for their visa, or help them pay fees to get them out of trouble. ... Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person.”
Craven County is about a 115-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 8:52 AM with the headline "‘Romance scam’ raked in $3 million, NC cops say. Suspect extradited from Florida."