An elderly man was scammed out of nearly $1 million by an Alexa Bliss impersonator.
Tara Siegel Bernard of The New York Times reports that 79-year-old Alfred Mancinelli was “convinced he was in a romantic relationship” with someone impersonating Alexa Bliss, and he wound up giving up about $1 million in retirement savings, as well as his granddaughter’s college fund, due to the scam over the course of several years.
The article notes that Chris, Alfred’s son, tried to stop the damage by moving Alfred’s last $100,000 to a safe account, but his father sued him.
“There was nothing we could do to convince him,” Chris Mancinelli said.
Furthermore, Chris noted that Alfred had “opened his heart” to some of the scammers, which may have been a factor in the way that he was manipulated. He stated that impersonators often create stories that “pulled on those heart strings.”
Siegel Bernard writes that Mancinelli was scammed over a few years, and his savings dwindled from $900,000 to $128,000. Specifically, Chris estimated that a lot of the money went to multiple Alexa Bliss impostors and seemingly associates.
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The article also details Alfred’s messages with the Alexa Bliss impersonator(s) and how their perceived relationship, which included references to Vince McMahon. Siegel Bernard states that the Alexa Bliss impersonator “accused of humiliating her after she refused his advances.”
Additionally, the fake Alexa claimed to be hospitalized for “bad menstrual periods”, and she would beg Alfred for money for her treatment.
Chris Mancinelli tried to help his father in multiple ways, but Alfred sued his son when he was unable to send the fake Alexa money in February 2023.
Siegel Bernard notes that Chris found documents that suggested that Alfred might have been preparing to sell his home, and he also took out personal loans.
In the end, Alfred passed away after he failed to recover from the neck surgery that he needed after a fall. Chris Mancinelli said that his behavior throughout the time that he was getting scammed was “so out of character” from the man that he knew when he was growing up.
