An imposter claiming to be WWE star Alexa Bliss scammed an elderly man out of almost $1million after leading them to believe they were in a romantic relationship.
The New York Times detailed the shocking story this week after a man named Chris Mancinelli revealed his 73-year-old father, Alfred, lost his retirement savings and some of his granddaughter’s college fund to the fraudster before his passing.
Mancinelli explained that Alfred, who died last summer, had a history of dealing with scammers as he ‘opened his heart to them’ and allowed himself to be manipulated.
And before his death in 2023, a fake account posing as stunning wrestler Alexa became the latest to con him out of a devastating amount.
During the pandemic Alfred is said to have lost roughly $770,000 after seeing his retirement savings drop from around $900,000 to $130,000 – which Chris believes mostly went to the Alexa imposter.
An imposter claiming to be WWE star Alexa Bliss scammed an elderly man out of $1million
The scammer, who went by the name ‘Lexi’, reportedly told him fictional stories about WWE founder Vince McMahon humiliating her after rejecting his advances, as well as being hospitalized due to her menstrual periods.
They then asked Alfred to help pay for expenses, which he duly obliged despite never communicating via audio or video, before Chris tried his best to intervene.
In a desperate bid to stop his dad from draining the entirety of his savings, Mancinelli transferred his last remaining $100,000 into another account, only to be hit with a lawsuit by Alfred.
He was eventually ordered to return the money to him, which then vanished a month later.
‘There was nothing we could do to convince him,’ Chris is quoted as saying.
Alfred died in 2023 after undergoing a post-fall neck operation, but his son is convinced his dealings with ‘Lexi’ would otherwise not have ended. ‘If he didn’t pass, he would have kept going.’
The 73-year-old lost his retirement savings and more to an account depicting Alexa (pictured)
The real Bliss, who is married to Ryan Cabrera, has warned fans about scammers posing as her
‘He lost all his money, his family relationships and was constantly stressed through it trying to get more and more money for them,’ Chris added.
‘I loved him. I wanted a close relationship with him, but it ruined it.’
The real Alexa, whose real name is Alexis Cabrera, has previously warned fans about falling victim to scammers who use her likeness to con them out of money.
Bliss has not competed since the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event after giving birth to her and husband Ryan Cabrera’s daughter Hendrix later that year.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk