As larger-than-life names who appear on TV, WWE Superstars are huge celebrities, and sadly, that means scammers will use a talent’s name and likeness with ill intent. Alfred Mancinelli was just one of several people who fell victim to scams, and it cost the now-deceased grandfather $1 million and much more.
This week, Chris Mancinelli, Alfred’s son, spoke to the New York Times about his father who died last summer at the age of 79. Chris shared that Alfred had been conned by an account pretending to be Alexa Bliss, and gave up $1 million in in retirement savings and his granddaughter’s college fund. When Chris stepped in to try and protect his father’s remaining $100,000, Alfred sued him as his loyalty was to the scammer he knew as ‘Lexi.’
“There was nothing we could do to convince him… I believe they crafted stories that pulled on those heart strings.”
The fake Bliss claimed that she’d been humiliated by Vince McMahon after ‘she’ refused his advances, and often claimed to be hospitalized for bad menstrual periods. After Alfred sued Chris to get his remaining $100,000 back in February 2023, the money was gone within a month. In the interview, Chris shared that his father’s problem with the scammer was well-known in the family.
“If he didn’t pass, he would have kept going. The girls [Chris’ daughters] all knew that their grandpa was getting scammed so they were already on alert for suspicious activity.”
Bliss herself has spoken numerous times about people falling victims to scammers impersonating her online, and sadly, Alfred Mancinelli lost both money and his relationship with his family before passing. His story, like others, reminds fans to be careful on social media, and if something like your favorite wrestler DMing you out of nowhere seems to good to be true, that’s because it almost certainly is.