Spanish authorities recently announced the arrests of five people accused of scamming two women out of $350K by pretending to be Brad Pitt online. In a recently released statement, authorities revealed the suspects had contacted the two women through Pitt’s fan page to take money from them. Meanwhile, the women thought they were communicating with the actor.
Brad Pitt scam: Imposters arrested after duping women online
The Spanish authorities announced that three arrests were made last November and two in July. According to The New York Times, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior’s statement on September 23 revealed more details about the accused’s method of scamming the women. They posed as Brad Pitt and contacted the two women via a fan page dedicated to the actor.
The authorities revealed how the scammers exchanged emails and messages with the victims, who believed them to be Brad Pitt. The statement read the five people made “these women believe they had become so close to the well-known American actor.” Furthermore, the two fans were misled into believing they had developed “a romantic relationship” with Pitt. The scammers had also asked the women for money.
The victims continued to believe the scammers, while the imposters successfully managed to swindle huge amounts. According to The New York Times, one woman from northern Spain sent around $168,000 in a slew of money transfers. Meanwhile, another woman, who lives in Granada, sent about $175,500. Variety reported that $94,000 has been recovered from the investigation currently.
Addressing the situation, Pitt’s publicist Matthew Hiltzik, sent a message to The New York Times. Hiltzik said, “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities. But this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.” Meanwhile, the five suspects face multiple charges related to fraud and money laundering. Their names haven’t been announced yet.
Brad Pit doesn’t have any official social media accounts. The actor has been busy promoting his upcoming crime comedy “Wolfs,” which will start streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday. The movie, which also stars George Clooney, premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1.
