An Arizona resident has lost $48,000 after falling for a long-running romance scam by someone impersonating a manager of WWE star Rhea Ripley.
The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, came forward after a Pennsylvania man reported losing more than $42,000 in a similar scheme, reports Local 21 News.
Contact began roughly two years earlier when the victim commented on one of Ripley’s social media posts.
Someone posing as part of Ripley’s management team offered fan club access for $1,550 and a job on her team, which the victim declined.
The conversation later turned romantic, with the impersonator claiming the victim was their soulmate.
“Eventually they asked me if I wanted to be their girlfriend. I just thought it was really flattering, I guess, in a way.”
Money requests followed, starting with claims that funds were needed for match outfits.
The victim says they were pushed into buying $1,000 to $1,500 gift cards on a weekly basis and spent more than $6,000 that way.
“I was uncomfortable, and they would just tell me, like, ‘Oh, well, you would help me out if you loved me.'”
Transfers later moved to PayPal and Cash App, and messages shared with the media outlet show threats of blackmail if the payments stopped, bringing the total loss to $48,000.
“It’s been hard. It’s been hard this year. Trying to work on myself, not letting it.”
A cybersecurity firm tracked the activity to Nigeria and New Jersey.
Arizona police took the report but said options were limited because the perpetrators appeared to be overseas.
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The post Arizona Resident Loses $48,000 in Romance Scam by Someone Posing as WWE Star Rhea Ripley’s Manager appeared first on The Daily Hodl.
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