Over the past couple of years, online platforms and technology such as AI have been used by scammers to impersonate celebrities. Carrying out romance scams as actors from popular shows to promoting shady assets as Elon Musk, con artists are employing sophisticated methods. In a recent case, an imposter claiming to be WWE star Alexa Bliss swindled an elderly man out of his retirement savings, along with money set aside for his granddaughter's college education. The scammer made 79-year-old Alfred Mancinelli believe that they were in a romantic relationship and convinced him to pay her nearly $ 1 million by the time he passed away. The shocking story was shared by the victim's son, Chris, who spoke to the New York Times.
Blinded by Love?
According to the details shared by Chris, the scammer reached out to Alfred online and established a supposedly romantic relationship that "lasted for years." They used the name and images of WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss, making Alfred believe that he was talking to the superstar herself.
The imposter had long conversations with Alfred about Bliss' struggles, career, medical emergencies, and alleged mistreatment by WWE CEO Vince McMahon. Even though the imposter never got on video or voice calls, they constantly asked Alfred to help pay for expenses, and the victim obliged.
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Targeting Vulnerable Souls
Chris shared that during the height of the pandemic, his father had become severely isolated and vulnerable to manipulation. He said the elderly man had a history of being scammed as he "opened his heart" to people and got manipulated with sob stories.
Chris added that by 2021, his father's $900,000 in savings were reduced to just $128,000, and he believes that the majority of the money went to the imposter posing as Bliss. He tried to intervene before Alfred's savings vanished, by transferring the $100,000 into another "safe bank account." However, the victim was so spellbound by the imposter's lies that he sued his son, who then had to return the money. Chrish said that the funds vanished about a month after he returned them and believes that the scam would have continued if Alfred hadn't passed away following a post-fall neck surgery.
Don't Break the Bank to Mend Hearts
According to the Federal Trade Commission, victims have lost a whopping $1.14 billion to romance scams. Furthermore, these cases had the highest median loss of $2,000, which is more than any other form of fraud.
Thus, both the FTC and FBI have laid out several guidelines for staying safe from romance scams. The authorities advise people against sending money, crypto, gift cards, or anything else to people who they haven't met in person. It is also best to not believe any promises made by strangers or schemes that claim to increase one's wealth. Refusal to meet in person and excuses to avoid providing proof of identity must be considered the most obvious red flags. To expose imposters, the FBI recommends using a reverse image search (using tools like Google Lens) to check if the pictures shared by a person belong to them or not.
It is also best to keep friends and family in the loop about a new relationship that develops online. Subsequently, if a person tries to isolate someone from friends and family, it should be considered as one more red flag.
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