Imposter posing as Pittsburgh Steelers Player Eli Heidenreich scams two women out of $1000

An incident has emerged where two women from Avella, Pennsylvania, were scammed by an imposter who posed as Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Eli Heidenreich. According to a Pennsylvania State Police public information report accessed by PEOPLE, the 20-year-old woman and the 50-year-old woman were scammed out of $1,000 in July 2026 by a person who claimed to be the Steelers running back.

The report claimed that the scam involved multiple financial transactions. No suspect was identified at the time of filing of this report, and police asked the public to contact them with any relevant information. A native of Pittsburgh, Heidenreich was the 230th overall pick during the 2026 NFL Draft, chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team’s website states that he has not yet played in an NFL game.

This scam occurs days after two men allegedly posed as a 49ers player and his financial advisor to defraud several women out of $1.3 million. In August 2026, Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the Department of Justice previously said in a press release.


Court documents stated that the scheme allegedly took place over about four years until the two were arrested, according to the DOJ release. They defrauded at least 26 people out of $1.3 million, the Justice Department said.

The scheme began in February 2022 with Love and Chan creating fictitious investments to defraud numerous women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. Love got in touch with most of the women over the Internet through dating apps, and Chan falsely posed as Love’s financial adviser to further gain their victims’ trust and demonstrate the validity of the investments. The two solicited money from the women through lies and misrepresentations. The scheme lasted until the day of Love and Chan’s arrests on August 24, 2026.