Aurora Phelps, a Las Vegas woman with more aliases than an international spy, faces a laundry list of serious charges after allegedly drugging and defrauding older men she met on dating apps—a modern twist on romance gone wrong.

Phelps, who is now in hot water for potentially courting disaster instead of love, faces an astonishing 21 charges, including a kidnapping charge linked to a man's death in Mexico. From 2019 to 2022, she allegedly drugged and manipulated countless older victims, racking up losses that could total in the hundreds of thousands. Federal officials have even showcased her as a cautionary tale for online daters, reminding people that not all connections lead to happily ever after—some could lead to a luxury shopping spree funded by your bank account.

According to authorities, Phelps’s tactics were as smooth as the finest Pinot Noir. She allegedly targeted primarily older men, but also sought out a wide range of victims, presumably lured in by her charming online persona, only to swap out their affection for financial data. The FBI has linked Phelps to the deaths of three victims connected to her scamming activities. One victim was found dead in a Mexico City hotel room after being drugged and taken across the border.

While nibbling on the doritos of their digital romances, victims reported financial losses in the hundreds of thousands—only to be trained by their experiences to now read online profiles like they're navigating a minefield. A fellow dating enthusiast commented, "I thought I was just swiping for a partner; I didn’t realize I was signing up for a personal ATM machine that moonlights as a barista. I mean, she was really good at capuccino art, wasn’t she?" If only fraudulent love interests came with hazard warnings, but it seems even Cupid has outsourced his best practices.

Phelps is not a one-trick pony and has dabbled in aliases like a master criminal. Aurora Flores, Aurora Velasco, Aurora Alvarez—take your pick. It’s as if she was collecting names like Pokémon cards, all the while seamlessly transitioning between being someone’s dream date and their financial nightmare. Her concealment of identity seems only rivaled by her ability to withdraw funds from vulnerable elderly gentlemen’s accounts, giving new meaning to the term 'ghosting.'

In an attempt to bolster their case against Phelps, authorities are casting a wide net for additional victims. They’ve issued a bulletin likening Phelps to a bad penny—always turning up, particularly in your bank statement. People are urged to come forward, both to reclaim their dignity and perhaps engage in a little financial therapy. According to the FBI, there may be many more victims hiding in the shadows, nursing not just their wounds but also considerable financial losses procured under false pretenses.

In a world where dating apps have become a buffet of potential suitors and dedicated flimflammers, Phelps’s alleged behavior raises serious questions about who we’re inviting into our lives—and our wallets. The digital dating scene, while a convenient avenue for companionship, appears to not only serve romance but also the occasional highway robbery. In the end, whether swiping left or right, we may need to swipe more cautiously, lest we find ourselves at the mercy of a date who takes 'dinner and drinks' to mean 'dinner, drinks, and a whole lot of cash withdrawal.'

As Phelps awaits extradition back to the U.S., one can only imagine what her next alias might be. Perhaps 'Aurora Cashflow' or 'The Vegas Vixen' would suit her new reality. Either way, her saga serves as a humorous reminder that in the craft of online dating, if it seems too good to be true, it probably involves more drama than a reality TV show, minus the cameras. Further, while she has inevitably swiped her way into a dark chapter in her life, the digital romantic realm is left reeling from the aftershocks of a scammer turned seductress, questioning the very designs of their profiles.

In the end, Phelps's elaborate scheme of seduction and theft intermingled like misguided love letters. The online dating landscape may be ripe with possibilities, but, just like a buffet, it’s important to remember there are always some dishes you might want to avoid, lest you catch something you weren't looking for—like an empty bank account or, worse, an uninvited headline in a true crime section near you.