Pennsylvania Man Loses $42,700 to Online Scammer Posing as WWE Wrestler Rhea Ripley

A 64-year-old man in Pennsylvania was defrauded of $42,700 by an individual or individuals impersonating WWE wrestler Rhea Ripley online, according to information released by Pennsylvania State Police this week. The incident occurred in March.

State police in Kittanning reported that the victim declined to assist with their investigation.

The 29-year-old Australian wrestler Ripley has not publicly commented on the matter. WWE performers have previously been targeted by scammers using their identities for fraudulent purposes.

In 2004, a similar scam involved a 79-year-old man who lost $1 million in retirement savings and his granddaughter's college fund over several years, having been convinced he was in a romantic relationship with wrestler Alexa Bliss.

This case follows a series of recent high-profile fraud incidents connected to the sports world. In September, NFL player Travis Kelce was named as a victim in a $35 million Ponzi scheme. Earlier, in August, Daejon Love was arrested on accusations of scamming 26 women out of approximately $1.3 million by posing as a 49ers player. His alleged accomplice, who reportedly posed as his investment manager, was also arrested.

In early August, Mohamed Coulibaly was found deceased in a pool after being identified as the leader of a scheme that defrauded professional athletes through fake Shopify stores. In May, former NFL player Joel Rufus French was sentenced to 196 months in prison for his role in a $197 million fraud scheme targeting Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.