Five People Arrested After Posing As Brad Pitt & Scamming Women Online

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As a lifelong cinephile who has spent countless hours watching Brad Pitt grace the silver screen, it’s heartbreaking to learn about these scams that tarnish his reputation and exploit the love fans have for him. I remember saving up my allowance as a kid just to buy VHS tapes of “Troy” or “Snatch,” so to think someone could be tricked into believing they were in a relationship with him is mind-boggling.

If someone claims they’re Brad Pitt and they reach out to you online, it’s probably too good to be true. Many people dream about being close to celebrities, and that’s likely why a couple of women fell for this scam, leading them to unwittingly give away a significant amount of money.

According to The New York Times, Spanish authorities have taken five individuals into custody, charging them with fraud and money laundering. These individuals allegedly posed as Brad Pitt online and swindled two women out of more than $350,000. Arrests began last November with three suspects, followed by the apprehension of the remaining two in July. The Spanish Interior Ministry’s statement explains that these scammers impersonated Pitt to trick the victims into parting with their money.

The accused is reported to have reached out to several women via a fan page associated with Brad Pitt and pretended to be the renowned actor himself. According to officials, the suspect then carried on conversations with these individuals, leading them to believe they were communicating directly with Mr. Pitt through instant messages and emails.

The Women Believed They Were in a Romantic Relationship With Brad Pitt

The communication extended past mere contact with the women, as they felt they had developed such a strong bond with the actor that they thought they were in a romantic relationship with him. To put it another way, the accused successfully made these women believe they had forged an intimate connection with the renowned American actor, leading them to think they were romantically involved. Once this belief was established, the con artist then requested money from the women. It is reported that one woman handed over $168,000 while another gave $195,500 to the Brad Pitt impersonator. At present, only $94,000 of the money has been retrieved.

Pitt is completely absent from online platforms, and this point was emphasized by his publicist Matthew Hiltzki in a statement. If you come across someone claiming to be Brad Pitt on X (a social media site like Instagram, TikTok, etc.), rest assured that it’s not the “Ocean’s Eleven” actor.

“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.”

On various occasions, similar events have taken place, and it’s possible they will occur again. Scammers often exploit the idea of impersonating famous individuals to deceive people into believing a real celebrity is trying to contact them. Just remember that if something seems excessively good, it might well be too good to be true.

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2024-09-25 23:02