By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-25 20:45:52 | Updated at 2024-10-02 08:30:24
6 days ago
A representative for Brad Pitt has weighed in on the online scams that saw five people arrested after they frauded two women out of more than $350,000 and convinced them they were having relationships with the actor.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced in a statement that five individuals were taken into custody who were connected to a 'criminal organization' and had poised as fake Brads to get women to hand over loads of cash.
Matthew Hiltzik, a representative for the 60-year-old actor, told People that it was 'awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities' and reminded supporters to 'not respond to unsolicited online outreach.'
'Especially from actors who have no social media presence,' they told the magazine on Wednesday.
The five individuals got the two Spanish women, who were not identified, to believe 'they had become so close to the well-known American actor that they believed they had a romantic relationship with him,' the statement said.
Matthew Hiltzik, a representative for the 60-year-old actor, told People that it was 'awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities' and reminded fans to 'not respond to unsolicited online outreach'
The police recovered 'numerous mobile phones, bank cards, prepaid telephone cards, two personal computers and documents were seized, including a diary in which the phrases used by the scammers to deceive their victims were noted,' during the investigation
They exchanged instant messages and emails with the scammers prior to them asking for large sums of cash.
One message read, according to the Times of London: 'My love for you is true. Feeling from my heart and forever, please forgive me and accept me … it is because I love you and am very much in love with you.'
One of the women, who lived in Biscay in the Northern part of the country, sent over $168,000 in multiple transfers to the scammers, while the other woman, from Granada, sent around $195,000.
To make matters worse, police found that the Granada victim's son also stole $19,000 from his mother and made three fraudulent charges on her bank card. He was arrested but was found to not be in connection with the organized crime group.
Around $95,000 of the women's money have been recovered, according to the Ministry.
Police began their investigation into the scammers after the Granada woman reported she had been scammed out of thousands of dollars in August 2023, which eventually led them to discover a second victim.
They discovered the scammers were contacting the women through an online fan page and had convinced them to send money to invest in several 'commercial projects,' according to the Ministry.
Investigators also found the scammers had done their research on the women and discovered they were 'vulnerable people with emotional deficiencies and in a depressive state,' making them the perfect targets.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced in a statement that five individuals were taken into custody who were connected to a 'criminal organization' and had poised as fake Brads to get women to hand over loads of cash
'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 WhatsApping with Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together,' the Ministry said.
The Civil Guard found that the cybercriminals had created a 'network of bank accounts registers with falsified documents for people of African nationalities such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, where they received the scammed money.'
They also used 'mules,' who received the money in turn for a small payment and later transferred the funds into the other accounts to launder it.
They recovered 'numerous mobile phones, bank cards, prepaid telephone cards, two personal computers and documents were seized, including a diary in which the phrases used by the scammers to deceive their victims were noted,' during the investigation.
Two of the scammers were arrested in November in San Isidro de Níjar and a third in Málaga.
Later on, the two leaders of the dismantled crime organization were arrested in Málaga, according to the Ministry.
The crime group has been accused of qualified fraud, money laundering, document forgery, and gang membership.
Cybercrimes are increasing in the European Union, with Secretary General of Interpol, Jürgen Stock, calling it an 'epidemic.'
Millions of Europeans have been frauded due to online crimes in 2023, according to the Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment, a report.
Through nearly 5,000 investigations, Europol helped stop the loss of nearly $36million in losses in 2023, the report said.
Pitt isn't the only Hollywood star who had to remind fans they wouldn't ask for money, as the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Hanks have as well.
Florence Pugh - who recently admitted she's in a relationship - had to take to her Instagram story in August to 'remind' fans that 'I don't have any other account other than this one' and that the only official communication would come from that page.
'Been brought to my attention that some people have been asked for money/pictures/communication through pages pretending to me,' the 28-year-old wrote.
