Radiology leader out $1M after online romance turns into crypto investment scam

Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified Jackie Crenshaw as a radiologist. Radiology Business regrets this error.

A radiology manager from Connecticut is speaking out about being scammed out of $1 million by an individual she says took advantage of her emotions at a vulnerable time. 

It all started when Jackie Crenshaw, senior manager for breast imaging at Yale New Haven Hospital, became romantically involved with a man who referred to himself as Brandon Miller. Crenshaw, who had not been in a relationship for 10 years at the time, says Miller’s blue eyes are what prompted her to make the first move and send him a message on a dating website in 2023.  

The two never met in person—something always ruined those plans—but spoke multiple times a day, often praying at night together, per Miller’s request, before saying their goodbyes. Crenshaw described Miller as a thoughtful person, earning her trust through weeks of constant communication. 

“If I mentioned I was hungry, there would be food delivered,” Crenshaw told WTNH. “They really do meticulously work on your emotions to get to you.” 

“It made me feel [like] this person really cares about me,” she told AARP. “He went to great lengths to gain my trust and get my guard down. I started to think, ‘This is someone I could spend my life with.’” 

After building trust, Miller approached Crenshaw about investing in cryptocurrency, telling her that he became an expert in it during the pandemic while he was at home with his kids and had earned big returns in the past. He shared what were later determined to be fake receipts as proof of his earnings, which helped to ease Crenshaw’s skepticism. 

Miller eventually convinced her to send him $40,000 for him to invest on her behalf. Not long after, he sent her a check for $100,000, saying that it was her return on investment. However, one detail of the check caught Crenshaw’s eye—it was written by a woman with a Florida address, not Miller. 

Concerned, Crenshaw took the check to her local police department. 

“I didn’t think it was real,” she said. “I had only been talking to him for six weeks, and he said it was for our future. My best friend told me I needed to go to the police, just in case. I didn’t want to be charged with money laundering.” 

The police unfortunately dismissed her concerns, and when she called the bank that issued the check, they informed her that it was from a legitimate account. She would later learn that the woman who wrote the check had also been victimized in the same scam. 

It wasn’t until June of 2024—after a year of Crenshaw sending Miller money and being told via fake statements that she was earning significant returns—when the police contacted her to inform her an anonymous caller had informed them that she was being scammed. The individual “had a thick Indian accent” and said they felt bad for Crenshaw. 

When the Crenshaw confronted her scammer, he denied the allegations. She cut off communication with him, though he continued to call her. But by that time, it was too late. Crenshaw had already lost around $1 million to the scammer. 

The Connecticut State Police eventually traced some of the funds to sources in Nigeria and China. However, Crenshaw will not be able to recover any of her money. She is now using her story to make others aware of similar scams.  

Read more about her story and how to spot scammers online here.