Suspected romance scammer stole property from his victims, Scottsdale police say

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - A suspected romance scammer has been arrested in Scottsdale after he was allegedly caught with stolen property from the victims he dated.

Scottsdale police say 51-year-old Steven Scott Salamone, otherwise known as Steven Capaletti or Steve Capalletti, would meet victims on the dating sections of various social media platforms.

Salamone reportedly lured victims into his "sweetheart scam" by sending them photos of exotic places or activities.

"These include sunsets, travel destinations, beach scenes, cute dogs, posing on motorcycles and other various photos & videos," officials said.

After gaining the victims' trust, police say he would stay with them, drive their cars and spend time with them before eventually vanishing from their lives.

Salamone is being accused of stealing their possessions in order to sell, pawn or trade them.

"He will commonly block past victims, drop them from social media, and perform cell number changes," police said. "He is also known to change the spelling of his name on social media when moving on from a victim."

The 51-year-old was caught during a Phoenix Police investigation after a victim reported that they had their property stolen.

"An investigation…found the subject was selling the stolen items," police said.

Detectives say they found multiple items he had taken from other victims in Phoenix and Florida, and he was arrested for trafficking stolen property.

Anyone who thinks they have been scammed by Salamone is asked to contact Scottsdale Police at 480-312-5000 or the tip line at 480-312-TIPS.

Related headlines

Arizona man from Nigeria romance scammed $3M from 'preyed upon' women, feds say

An Arizona man from Nigeria is said to have scammed millions from women online who were looking for love. We confront him to hear his side of the story, but he refuses. We have what the Secret Service says he did.