An imposter claiming to be WWE star Alexa Bliss scammed an elderly man out of nearly $1 million after making him believe they were in a romantic relationship.
The New York Times detailed the shocking story this week after a man named Chris Mancinelli revealed that his 73-year-old father, Alfred, lost his retirement savings and part of his granddaughter’s college fund to the scammer before his death.
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 scam him out of a devastating amount.
During the pandemic, Alfred is said to have lost approximately $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 $1 million
The scammer, who called herself ‘Lexi’, allegedly told her fictitious 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 them pay the expenses, which he duly complied with despite never communicating via audio or video, before Chris tried his best to intervene.
In a desperate attempt to prevent his father from depleting all his savings, Mancinelli transferred his last $100,000 to another account, only to face a lawsuit from Alfred.
He was eventually ordered to return the money, which disappeared a month later.
“We couldn’t do anything to convince him,” Chris said.
Alfred died in 2023 after undergoing neck surgery following a fall, but his son is convinced his relationship with ‘Lexi’ would not have ended otherwise. “If I hadn’t passed, I would have moved on.”
The 73-year-old lost his retirement savings and more in an account representing Alexa (pictured)
The real Bliss, married to Ryan Cabrera, has warned her fans about scammers impersonating her.
“He lost all his money, his family relationships and was constantly stressed trying to get more and more money for them,” Chris added.
‘I loved him. “I wanted to have a close relationship with him, but he ruined it.”
The real Alexa, whose real name is Alexis Cabrera, has previously warned her fans about falling victim to scammers who use her image to scam them 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.