Brad Pitt ‘Romance’ Scam: Five Arrested for $480,000 Online Theft – National
The police at Spain arrested five people in connection with online attack love scam centered around a leading actor Brad Pittwhich saw two women scammed out of more than €350,000 (CA$487,800).
THE arrests The Spanish Interior Ministry announced on Monday that the five defendants had contacted their victims through an online fan page dedicated to Pitt and allegedly posed as the Fight Club actor.
Once the scammers convinced the two victims that they were actually Pitt through various instant messages and emails, they tricked the women into believing they had entered into a romantic relationship with the actor. Then, they asked them for money to invest in fake business ventures involving Pitt.
News of the arrests prompted a representative for Pitt to ask his fans to be careful online — and to remind their admirers that Pitt himself does not have any authorized social media accounts.
“It’s terrible that scammers are taking advantage of the close ties that fans have with celebrities,” Matthew Hiltzik, Pitt’s publicist, told The New York Times. “But it’s a important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online solicitations, particularly from actors who do not have a presence on social networks.
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The two victims of the romance scam reside in Spain. One, who lives near Bilbao, transferred €150,000 (CA$225,100) to the fake Pitt. The second, who lives in Granada, lost €175,000 (CA$262,600) to the scammers.
Three of the arrests were made in November, the other two in July. All five suspects have been charged with fraud and money laundering, authorities said.
The scammers allegedly developed a psychological profile of their victims by scouring their personal social media accounts to determine whether or not they were a vulnerable person.
Authorities said the five arrested belonged to a “criminal organization.” The operation used fake bank accounts and money “mules” in African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone, who laundered the stolen funds for a small fee.
The Spanish Interior Ministry announced that it had been able to recover €85,000 (CA$127,600) of the initial sum lost by the two victims.
In 2023, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) reported that more than $50 million was lost to romance scams from 945 victims across the country. Romance scams accounted for some of the highest financial losses reported to authorities that year.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is encouraging social media users to be skeptical of messages from strangers. The organization recommends conducting a thorough internet search to identify a person. It also says that if a person has “fallen in love quickly” or ask for moneyThis should be taken as a warning signal.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of an online romance scam, you should file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
