Betrayal: Weekly — “Jackie” (Aired September 18, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode of Betrayal Weekly, host Andrea Gunning shares the gripping story of Jackie Crenshaw, a trusted healthcare worker whose search for late-in-life companionship results in a devastating multimillion-dollar scam. Through Jackie’s account, the episode lays bare the sophisticated tactics of romance and financial fraud, examines the lasting toll on victims, and highlights how the illusion of trust can be weaponized against even the most savvy and self-assured individuals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jackie’s Background and Strengths

• Career and Community: Jackie is a veteran mammographer in New Haven, Connecticut, the first Black woman to manage the imaging center at Yale New Haven Hospital, and an advocate against racial disparities in breast cancer detection.
  • [04:00] “Statistically, African American women are diagnosed later as the breast cancer has progressed. I am the outreach coordinator. So I teach people how to examine their breasts… We go to beauty shops and I teach breast cancer prevention.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Family: Though she never had children of her own, Jackie dedicated her life to supporting a large extended family.
  • [05:18] “I probably have 50, 60 nieces and great nieces and nephews. So a lot of checks to college. You name it, I did it.” — Jackie Crenshaw

2. Jackie’s Independence and Readiness for Connection

• Personal Fulfillment: By her late 50s, Jackie was financially independent and emotionally fulfilled, content with her single life but open to companionship.
  • [06:09] “I had everything I needed. I owned my condo, I had a nice car, good job… I had everything I wanted as far as material things.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Online Dating: A friend encourages Jackie to try a dating site for African Americans for her first foray into online matchmaking.

3. The Romance Begins: Brandon’s Arrival

• Charming and Strategic: Brandon—purportedly a construction worker and widower with two sons—courts Jackie across texts and regular phone calls.
  • [08:03] “Hi Jacqueline, my name is Brandon and you’re beautiful, blah, blah, blah.” — Jackie Crenshaw (reading Brandon’s first message)
  • [09:13] “He’s like, oh, you know, I just went back to work two years after losing my wife.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Emotional Investment: Brandon shares intimate stories, claims a tragic past, and quickly establishes emotional rituals like nightly prayers.
  • [14:32] “I started praying not like I ever had before.” — Jackie Crenshaw

4. Love Bombing and Gifts

• Gifts and Gestures: Jackie is wooed with flowers, food deliveries, and personalized presents such as a necklace with both of their photos.
  • [11:04] “It was a bouquet of flowers and balloons. It made her smile.” — Andrea Gunning
  • [20:04] “He even sent me a necklace that had my picture on one side and his on the other.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Building Trust: These repeated small gestures, alongside increasing emotional intimacy, disarm Jackie’s suspicions.

5. Financial Manipulation: The “Investment Opportunity”

• Crypto Introduction: Brandon introduces Jackie to cryptocurrency investments via a “trusted friend” (Mike), promising sky-high returns and initial genuine-seeming profits.
  • [21:03] “He said, ‘Oh, have you heard of crypto?’ I said, ‘Eh, I’ve heard about it…’” — Jackie Crenshaw
  • [22:31] “This didn’t make sense. No returns could be that high …” — Andrea Gunning
• Upping the Stakes: After initial “success,” Jackie invests more, cashing out her retirement and going all-in.
  • [26:17] “She cashed out one of her retirement accounts, which was 419,000 after taxes.” — Andrea Gunning

6. The Grand Illusion: Parties and the "Life Together"

• Blank Check Promise: Brandon offers a "blank check" for Jackie’s 60th birthday party, transferring thousands to her account and offering to pay for extravagant elements.
  • [24:13] “And I was like, well, what’s the budget? He says, blank check. Blank check.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Plans for the Future: They discuss relocating, real estate, and fostering a family life.

7. Red Flags and the Tipping Point

• Suspicious Payments and Unfamiliar Checks: A $100,000 check arrives from a stranger, prompting Jackie’s friend to urge caution.
• Police Alert: An anonymous call leads to a police investigation, confirming Jackie is being targeted in a scam.
  • [30:06] “He says, this Jacqueline Crenshaw? I say, yes. He said, ‘Jacqueline, we got a call, an anonymous call from a gentleman with a thick Indian accent stating you were being scammed and they felt sorry for you.’” — Jackie Crenshaw

8. The Confrontation and Unraveling

• Website Locks and Realization: Jackie can’t access her “investment” account; the reality crashes down.
  • [36:06] “My head exploded. Like I said, oh, my God, oh my God, oh my God…” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Attempted Damage Control: Despite police requests, she can’t continue the charade with Brandon and confronts him. He disappears, and fraudulent credit applications start to proliferate.

9. Scope of the Scam Revealed

• International Scale: Police track crypto wallets to Shanghai and Nigeria; Jackie's scam is linked to a global operation.
  • [41:04] “The state trooper traced two of the crypto wallets, went to Shanghai, one to Nigeria.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Use of Stolen Identities: The real "Brandon" is identified as an Australian construction worker whose image was used without his knowledge.

10. Aftermath: Emotional and Financial Ruin

• Financial Devastation: Jackie estimates losses at over a million dollars, including drained retirement, fraudulent loans, and a ruined credit score.
  • [45:24] “It’s definitely over a million.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Personal Toll: Jackie files for bankruptcy, faces foreclosure, and must drastically change her lifestyle.
  • [47:04] “I got a tax bill from the IRS for the 403B. I owe 55,056 now, and I’ll have to make a payment plan.” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Resilience and Advocacy: Though devastated, Jackie finds purpose in speaking out, becoming an AARP spotlight speaker and advocating for scam prevention.
  • [49:42] “I was a spotlight speaker for April, and one woman, you know, confessed that she was scammed. And she's like, you know, how do you move on? I said, one day at a time.” — Jackie Crenshaw

11. Reflecting on Vulnerability and Hope

• Emotional Manipulation: Jackie underscores that beneath all her independence and savvy, her human need for connection was exploited.
  • [44:14] “It’s a psychological thing where I feel like I got softened by that partner being just that great and supportive … But I am human. And I think that human factor got in…” — Jackie Crenshaw
• Core Message: Her story is a call for empathy, vigilance, and open discussion, especially for older adults who are frequent targets of such sophisticated scams.
  • [51:11] “I have to tell myself every day. I'm a victim. Whoever is on these websites, scamming people, their entire job is to distance me with my money. And I know just talking to people, they are plagued with fear and embarrassment. And that fight in me said, if you go hide and you don't tell your story and you know you're embarrassed, you're not going to help anyone.” — Jackie Crenshaw

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Ready for Love:
  • “I didn’t feel like I was desperate or lonely or any of those things, but I was ready for some companionship.” – Jackie Crenshaw [06:57]
• On Early Suspicion:
  • “This didn’t make sense. No returns could be that high. This must be someone else’s money.” — Andrea Gunning [22:35]
• Confronting Financial Devastation:
  • “My credit went from 790 to now 500. I’ve never ever had bad credit. I never missed a payment on anything. But now having to see what bad credit does.” — Jackie Crenshaw [46:19]
• On Enduring:
  • “I don’t let it consume me because that would paralyze me. I’m like, I gotta go to work … There’s a ignition in me that is gonna prevail with this.” — Jackie Crenshaw [48:27]
• On the Power of Shame:
  • “They are plagued with fear and embarrassment. And that fight in me said, if you go hide and you don’t tell your story and you know you’re embarrassed, you’re not going to help anyone.” — Jackie Crenshaw [51:11]

Important Timestamps by Segment

| Time | Segment Highlight | |----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:07 | Scam traces to overseas crypto and computer warehouses | | 04:00 | Jackie’s career, values, and outreach about breast cancer disparities | | 09:13 | Introduction of Brandon as a widower, beginning emotional intimacy | | 11:04 | First gifts and acts of care by Brandon | | 14:32 | Spiritual connection, nightly prayers | | 20:04 | Personalized gifts: Photo necklace | | 22:31 | Jackie invests the first $40,000 | | 26:17 | Jackie goes “all-in” with $419,000 retirement account | | 28:02 | Arrival of suspicious $100,000 check | | 30:06 | Police tipoff: Anonymous call reveals scam | | 36:06 | Jackie realizes she’s been scammed; account access revoked | | 41:04 | International reach of the scam revealed by police | | 45:24 | Jackie tallies her losses: over a million dollars | | 46:19 | Bankruptcy, ruined credit, and anxiety about the future | | 48:27 | Jackie shares her mindset for resilience | | 49:42 | Advocacy work with AARP; providing support to other victims | | 51:11 | Jackie reflects on the importance of breaking silence and helping others|

Closing Thoughts

This episode is a powerful and sobering reminder of how sophisticated and emotionally manipulative romance scams have become, targeting even those with formidable independence and life experience. Jackie’s willingness to share her ordeal is both a warning and an encouragement for listeners to stay vigilant, cultivate open conversations about financial vulnerability, and offer support to those affected—no matter how invulnerable they may appear.

Betrayal Weekly continues to deliver heartfelt, complex narratives that illuminate both the devastation and the resilience found in stories of broken trust.