Spain: Two women lose $362,000 in fake Brad Pitt scam, five arrested
At least five people have been arrested in Spain for allegedly scamming two women online by pretending themselves as Hollywood star Brad Pitt.
The two women were scammed 325,000 euros ($362,000).
Ten other people were also investigated as part of Operation Bralina, which spanned eight provinces, according to a statement from the Guardia Civil published Monday as quoted by CNN.
One woman lost 175,000 euros ($195,000) to the fraudsters, while another lost 150,000 euros ($167,000), the American news channel reported.
Police have managed to recover 85,000 euros ($95,000) so far.
The fraudsters allegedly contacted both the victims online via a Brad Pitt fan site.
According to reports, the fraudsters, disguising themselves as Pitt, convinced the women that the actor wanted to invest in several projects with them.
“In order to find their victims, the cyber criminals studied their social networks and put together a psychological profile of them, discovering as a result that both women were vulnerable people suffering from depression and a lack of affection,” reads the statement.
“They also used instant messaging platforms to exchange messages and emails with the two women until they thought they were chatting via WhatsApp with Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together.”
The women made several bank transactions thinking they were interacting with the Hollywood actor.
They approached the police after realizing that they had been scammed.
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