Grant County Sheriff warns of “romance scam” impacting locals

By Logan Bagett on Monday, April 20th, 2026 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

CANYON CITY – (Press Release from Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley)

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office has been made aware of a romance scam that is possibly affecting locals in Grant County and surrounding areas.

An individual purporting to be “Chris Anderson” is using stolen images of “Tony Baroud”.

Baroud is a Lebanese TV host who has had his stolen images used for many years.

Baroud, (pictured above) has video clips of himself warning of the scam using his images. Multiple scammers have been known to use his images and primarily target females in their 60s and 70s.

If you, or someone you know is currently involved with an online dating scheme involving the pictured individual, please contact the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, or your local jurisdiction.

Please use caution with online activities, and do not send your money to the scammers. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.