A former reality TV star is sitting in a Florida jail after investigators say she helped pull off a nearly $200,000 real estate scam — and an AI-generated driver’s license allegedly played a significant role in the scheme.
According to various reports, Salomes Jackson, who appeared on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and Cartel Crew under the name Betty Idol, was arrested Aug. 13 following an 11-month investigation by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The 40-year-old is now being held on a $300,000 bond and faces charges including grand theft, money laundering, organized scheme to defraud, and unauthorized use of personal identification. The allegations have not been proven in court.
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But this wasn’t a case of someone simply handing over a fake ID and hoping nobody noticed. Investigators say the alleged scheme went much further and involved multiple people.
How it all unfolded
It appears the case started with a family who wanted to buy a vacant piece of land next to the mobile home park they owned in Orange City, Florida.
They believed they were dealing with the property’s owners and a legitimate title company. But investigators say the entire deal was a setup.
The buyers wired $198,000 toward the purchase. But when they asked for a property survey, things started to unravel.
The people they had been dealing with suddenly stopped responding. When the family called the actual landowners, they learned the property wasn’t actually for sale.
Investigators say the people behind the deal had been posing as the property owners and using fake documents to make the sale look legitimate. The forged documents allegedly included a driver’s license created with an AI tool. The escrow company was fake, too, investigators say.
According to local news station CBS 12, the money was then moved through various shell companies and bank accounts in Florida, New York, and New Jersey.
Investigators eventually zeroed in on Jackson after surveillance footage allegedly showed her depositing some of the money at a New York ATM. Detectives used facial recognition and her distinctive eye and neck tattoos to help identify her, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators say Jackson personally received the bulk of the money — more than $178,000. Some of that money was allegedly spent on luxury purchases at stores including Gucci and René Caovilla.
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How to spot a real estate scam
Real estate deals typically involve a lot of moving parts — and large sums of money can change hands before the keys ever do.
The FBI says business email compromise (BEC) scams — including cases where criminals impersonate people involved in real estate transactions — resulted in nearly $2.8 billion in reported losses in 2024.
A single fraudulent payment can be enough to wipe out a huge chunk of someone’s savings. That’s why it’s worth slowing down when a real estate deal suddenly comes with a request to move a lot of money.
So before wiring a down payment or closing funds, take a few extra steps.
Start with the people handling your money. Look up the title company or real estate professional independently. Don’t simply use the phone number or email address provided in a message about the transaction.
Pay close attention to the email address itself. A message can look like it’s coming from someone you know while using a slightly altered address or domain.
And if you’re buying land, make sure you’re actually dealing with the person who owns it. Public property records can give you a starting point, but you should still independently verify the seller’s identity.
If you’re about to send a significant amount of money, it doesn’t hurt to have a real estate lawyer or someone you trust take a look first.
It may feel awkward to double-check something that already seems official, but that’s a lot less awkward than trying to get $200,000 back.
Most importantly, don’t assume a driver’s license or other official-looking document proves anything on its own. As the Jackson case shows, even something that looks convincing can be fabricated.
The same goes for wire instructions. If the account details suddenly change, don’t reply to the email or text to verify them. Call the title company or closing professional using a phone number you found yourself and confirm the new instructions directly.
If someone is pushing you to wire the money right away, take a step back and verify everything first. And don’t assume a familiar name or logo means the message is legitimate — BEC scammers can copy the look and language of real companies.
A few extra minutes of checking may feel like a hassle when you’re trying to close a deal. But once a wire goes to the wrong account, getting that money back can be a very different story.
Jackson’s case is still unfolding. For the family, nearly $200,000 is now gone.
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Laura Grande is a freelance contributor with nearly 15 years of industry experience. Throughout her career she's written about and edited a range of topics, from personal finance and politics to health and pop culture.
