2 women in Spain lose over $466k in Brad Pitt impersonation scam, 5 people arrested

Five people accused of duping two women out of €325,000 (S$466,800) by impersonating actor Brad Pitt online have been arrested by the police in Spain.

British daily The Guardian, quoting a statement from Spain’s Guardia Civil on Sept 23, said the victims were targeted on an internet fan site for the famous Hollywood actor.

They were eventually led to believe that they had a “sentimental relationship” with him.

The scammers, posing as Pitt, allegedly urged the victims to invest in projects that did not exist.

One of the women lost €175,000 and the other €150,000. Police managed to recover €85,000, reported CNN on Sept 24.

The news outlet quoted a police statement as saying that the scammers found the victims by studying their social networks.

The scammers discovered that the women were “vulnerable people suffering from depression and a lack of affection”.

Using instant messaging platforms, they exchanged messages and e-mails with the two women.

Believing that they were chatting with Brad Pitt on WhatsApp, the women, who had been promised a romantic relationship and a future with the star, made numerous bank transfers to the person they believed was Pitt.

They later realised they had been scammed and went to the police.

CNN said investigators found that a network of bank accounts were created using false documents. Mules, who help launder money through their own bank accounts in exchange for small payment, were also used.

The Spanish police arrested five people, including the suspected leaders of the group, in the southern region of Andalusia, the Guardian said.

After raids on five homes, the police seized mobile phones, bank cards, two computers and a diary containing phrases used by the scammers to deceive their victims.