It’s no secret that online fraud is rampant in today’s society, especially when it comes to impersonation — something that has affected various wrestling fans on social media through the years.
The latest example comes from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, (population 3921) where a 64-year-old resident was scammed out of $42,700 in March 2026 by someone or several someones who were impersonating WWE star Rhea Ripley back.
From the WPXI report, the unidentified man “refused to cooperate” with the Pennsylvania State Police investigation and both the perpetrators, and further details about the entire situation, remain unknown.
Ripley, who is currently on the injured list, has not commented on the situation.
Nearly two years ago, 74-year-old Alfred Mancinelli was scammed out of nearly $1 million by at least one con artist impersonating WWE star Alexa Bliss. He lost his entire retirement savings and granddaughter’s college fund.
Wrestlers like Liv Morgan have taken to social media to warn fans about such scams.
From Morgan on X in April 2022:
“Guys I’ve been sent so many emails of horror stories about people making fake accounts and emails pretending to be me & asking for huge amounts of money. This really makes me so sad. Please don’t use my name to con people out of their hard earned money. Please please please”
Josh Nason
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He’s a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.