ST. JOHNS, Florida — A St. John’s woman thought she had found love, but what she says happened next left her heartbroken and hundreds of thousands of dollars poorer. 

We aren’t naming the woman or showing her face out of privacy and harassment concerns. She says the man she believed was her boyfriend allegedly swindled her out of money over the course of their 6 month relationship. 

“You just never know,” she said. “You can be a victim of a fraud or of this whole manipulation and fake relationship.”

The man she says was her boyfriend is 35-year-old Edit Manjic of St. John’s County. St John’s County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him in July on charges related to grand theft and scheming to defraud someone. 

“When we were dating, my, like, my family had weird feeling about him,” said the woman. “They felt something was up, something was off because he never wanted to meet my family because he had excuses.”

She says she met Manjic while shopping at a local car dealership and the two quickly fell into a relationship.

“He started calling me the very same day that he really liked me,” she said. 

But she says it didn’t take long for Manjic to begin asking her for large sums of money for fake financial emergencies and business ventures.

“He asked me for $5,000,” said the woman. “Then it escalated to more, more, and I didn’t even realize how money was just leaving.”

First Coast News reached out to Manjic for comment. He is denying the charges but did not want to comment further due to the upcoming court case. He is due in court on October 1st.

“Listen to your heart. If something feels off, pause. Ask a family member for advice,” the woman advised. 

SJSO office is still investigating. If you or someone you know has been a victim of a scam, reach out to law enforcement right away.