WPXI Now is reporting that a 64-year-old man in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has lost $427,000 to a phony Rhea Ripley.
Pennsylvania State Police report that a suspect claimed to be the WWE superstar and convinced a man to part with $427,000 through some unidentified scheme.
Police are reporting that the victim himself is not cooperating with the police investigation at the present time.
Back in 2025, a woman in Memphis lost thousands of dollars to someone claiming to be Roman Reigns online.
“There’s a lot of people that really love this man. To just find out that I’m talking to a scammer… it hurts me,” Elizabeth Moore told Fox 13.
The imposter texting her began asking for money and gift cards which she sent for years.
“I’m like, ‘Why does this man need help? My mother told me, ‘Don’t do it.’ But I didn’t pay it no attention. I thought it was the real Roman Reigns,” she said.
A few months ago, Shayna Baszler warned fans about “catfishing” scams in which thieves impersonate wrestling superstars online to scam people out of their money. Baszler claims informing the police “does NOTHING”.
“(Unfortunately common story incoming…) I have had SEVERAL people get catfished into thinking they are in a relationship w/me. They never listen when you try to tell them the truth. And going to police does NOTHING. Document everything and get some sort of security/self defense,” she wrote on X.
Baszler’s comment was in response to Deonna Purrazzo’s post in which she said: “Last August, a man drove 2 hrs from CT to meet me at WrestleCon, thinking we were in a relationship. I had let him down gently that he had been catfished. The next day, he drove back to CT to watch me wrestle at a local show.”
