5 men in Spain pretending to be Brad Pitt tricked women for more than Rs 3 crore
Scammers impersonating Brad Pitt conned two women in Spain out of €325,000 (about Rs 3 crore) by convincing them they were romantically involved with the actor. The incidents highlight how vulnerable individuals were targeted in these romance scams.
A bunch of scammers posing as Hollywood icon Brad Pitt targeted two ladies in Spain and duped them into believing they were romantically involved with the actor. The crooks extracted €325,000 (about Rs 3 crore) from the victims. The Guardia Civil, Spain's national police force, has detained five people in connection with this scam.
How did the scammers fool women out of money?
Fake Brad Pitt arrested in Spain for tricking women for €325,000
¡ª CrackStreams (@crackstreamstvs) September 24, 2024
Spanish police have detained five individuals for defrauding two women of 325,000 euros by impersonating Brad Pitt via emails and WhatsApp messages. The scammers used a fan page to promise romantic relationships¡
According to a source, the organization first contacted the women through a fan page dedicated to the star, leading them to believe they had a link with the real actor. They also convinced the victims to invest in projects that did not exist.
As per the Guardian, the police said, ¡°The cyber criminals, to capture the victims, had studied their social networks and made a psychological profile of them, thus discovering that both women were two vulnerable people, lacking in affection and in a state of depression.¡±
¡°They also used instant messaging platforms to exchange messages and emails with the two women until they reached a point where they believed they were chatting via WhatsApp with Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together,¡± they added.
Who did the fake Brat Pitt scam?
Credit: Canva
One woman from Andalusia lost €175,000 (about Rs 1.60 crore) in the scam, while another from the Basque Country lost €150,000 (roughly Rs 1.40 crore) in the same crime. When the scam was discovered, Spanish authorities acted quickly, arresting five people in Andalusia, including the scam's primary organizers.
During the inquiry, the Guardia Civil raided five different places and confiscated many items, including mobile phones, bank cards, two computers, and a notebook with phrases used by scammers to deceive their victims.
According to reports, police authorities were successful in recovering at least €85,000 (roughly Rs 79 lakh) that the scammers had collected from the two women while posing as Brad Pitt.
What are some other cases like this?
In a similar case, a middle-aged woman from Granada was led to believe she was about to marry Brad Pitt. When her lawyer, Antonio Estella Aroza, first heard her story, he assumed it was a joke. The scammer, posing as a Hollywood star, persuaded the woman to transfer €170,000 (about Rs 1.50 crore).
He even promised to see her in person for their wedding. However, when the fraudster failed to appear, the woman realized something was wrong and filed a complaint against the swindler.
Also read: SCAM ALERT! Scammers Are Using AI To Create Realistic Videos Of Your Loved Ones To Dupe You
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