A Georgia teenager is at the center of a jaw-dropping case after authorities say she tricked her ex-boyfriend into handing over thousands of dollars by pretending she was pregnant with his child. Investigators allege the teen spun out the lie long enough to collect roughly $7,000 before the truth finally caught up with her and she was arrested on a felony charge.
The story has all the ingredients of a messy breakup gone very wrong: a young couple, a claimed baby on the way, and a trail of digital payments that now sit at the heart of a criminal case. It also taps into a bigger conversation about how easily intimate relationships can be weaponized when money, trust, and social media all collide.
How a fake pregnancy turned into a felony case
According to investigators in Georgia, the case started like a lot of teen drama, with a relationship that did not last but emotions that clearly did. Deputies in Coweta County say 18-year-old Brya Hardy told her former boyfriend she was expecting his child and needed help covering expenses tied to the supposed pregnancy and baby. Over time, they say, the ex sent money again and again, believing he was doing the right thing for a child he thought was his. The payments, investigators allege, eventually added up to about $7,000, a figure that pushed the case firmly into felony territory.
Deputies in Georgia describe a pattern in which the teen allegedly kept the story going long after any reasonable questions should have been answered. According to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the money was framed as support for medical needs and ongoing child support, even though there was no baby at all. On New Year’s Eve 2025, authorities say Hardy was taken into custody in Coweta County and charged with theft by deception after the ex-boyfriend and his family raised alarms about the missing money and the lack of any real child. The arrest capped what investigators portray as a months-long deception that turned a private breakup into a public criminal case.
The digital trail and what investigators say they uncovered
Once the ex-boyfriend began to suspect something was off, the story moved quickly from private messages to a formal complaint. Deputies in Georgia say they traced a series of payments that the young man believed were going toward his child, only to conclude that the funds were tied to a lie about a pregnancy that never existed. The alleged victim told investigators he had been sending money regularly, and that he relied on Hardy’s assurances that she was carrying his child and needed help. That account lines up with what officials describe as an alleged pattern of misrepresentation designed to keep the money flowing.
Investigators say the teen did not just ask for a one-time payment, but instead collected thousands in what the ex believed were ongoing child support transfers. In their account, she leaned on the emotional weight of a claimed pregnancy and the responsibility that comes with fatherhood to convince him to keep sending cash. Deputies in Coweta County ultimately arrested Hardy on a charge of theft by deception after reviewing the payment history and the messages tied to the supposed baby. The case, which unfolded in Georgia, has now become a cautionary tale about how quickly a personal dispute can escalate once law enforcement starts following the money.
Legal stakes, long-term fallout, and the bigger lesson
The charge Hardy faces is not a minor one. Theft by deception in Georgia can carry serious penalties, and the law treats the value of what was allegedly taken as a key factor in any potential sentence. In this case, authorities say the ex-boyfriend was out roughly $7,000, a figure that pushes the alleged conduct into a higher bracket of potential punishment. If Hardy is found guilty of theft by deception, her sentencing will depend on the value of the money she stole, and those who steal that amount can face significant prison time under state law. If Hardy is convicted, the fallout would not stop at a possible sentence; a felony record at 18 can make it harder to get a job, rent an apartment, or qualify for certain forms of financial aid.
Beyond the courtroom, the case has sparked a wider conversation about trust, money, and how quickly a personal relationship can turn into a financial trap. Deputies say the ex-boyfriend believed he was stepping up as a father, only to learn there was no child at all. The allegation that a teen in Georgia collected thousands in supposed child support for a baby that was never hers has resonated far beyond Coweta County, in part because it plays on a fear many people have about being manipulated in their most vulnerable moments. For parents of teens, it is a reminder to talk frankly about money, digital payments, and what real documentation around pregnancy and child support should look like before anyone starts sending large sums.
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