Woman Thought She Was Buying a Home with Boyfriend She Met on Bumble — But Says He Turned Out to Be a Scam Artist Who Stole $272,000 from Her

A Manhattan grand jury has indicted Brandon Dae Up Kiehm, 45, accusing him of stealing roughly $272,000 from a woman he met on the dating app Bumble in what prosecutors described as a “romance scam,” according to an announcement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Kiehm is charged with one count of second-degree grand larceny. He was released on non-monetary bail.

Prosecutors allege Kiehm began communicating with the 44-year-old woman in 2019 and used a different name — “Dae Up Lee Kim” — while portraying himself as a finance professional and Stanford graduate.

In February 2020, authorities say he persuaded the woman to buy a Brooklyn home at auction. Because she was traveling for work and could not attend the auction, prosecutors allege he told her he had gone in her place.

Bragg’s office said Kiehm claimed they were the second-highest bidders and told her they needed to send a cashier’s check to the property’s trustee to keep that position. He allegedly said he had been emailing with the property’s broker and instructed the woman to sign the sale’s terms and conditions and send a cashier’s check for $78,250 to someone presented as the broker. Prosecutors allege that person was actually one of Kiehm’s associates, who has not been identified.

Two weeks later, prosecutors say Kiehm told the woman the top bid had fallen through and directed her to send additional funds to the same supposed broker. Bragg’s office alleges he provided specific wire details, including the bank and account number.

The woman allegedly sent two wire transfers — one for $86,750 and another for $107,000 — and signed a contract of sale that prosecutors say Kiehm provided.

According to the district attorney, the money was routed through associates and quickly withdrawn in cash. Prosecutors also allege some funds were transferred into an account jointly held by Kiehm and an associate, and then withdrawn as cash as well.

Authorities say the woman later found an ID card belonging to her boyfriend with a name she didn’t recognize: Brandon Kiehm. After finding additional identification and mail addressed to that same name, prosecutors allege he admitted Brandon Dae Up Kiehm was his real name.

Bragg’s office said the woman then contacted the actual broker connected to the Brooklyn property and learned Kiehm had never placed a bid.

“Romance scams are all too common, and our office is here to prosecute egregious conduct like this,” Bragg said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

Bumble issued a statement saying it had worked with law enforcement and that it was concerned about anyone using the platform to commit fraud, emphasizing that member safety is a core focus.

The indictment comes years after Kiehm pleaded guilty and was convicted in a separate case involving grand larceny, identity theft, and a scheme to defraud, the Associated Press reported. The outlet said prosecutors previously accused him of scamming two women out of a combined $49,000 in 2015 by claiming he needed money for a relative’s cancer treatment. The Associated Press also reported he stole $800 from a neighbor and $13,000 from a man who hired him as a dog walker.

He was sentenced to two to six years in prison and released after serving one year and eight months, according to the outlet.