Ben Pawlowski
BRAD Pitt has criticised the five conmen who used his image to swindle hundreds of thousands of euros out of two unsuspecting female victims.
Earlier this week, Spanish police arrested the band of suspects accused of defrauding two women – one from Granada, Andalucia and one from Bizikia, Basque Country – out of €175,000 and €150,000 respectively.
The two victims were contacted on a fanpage for the Oscar-winning actor by an account pretending to be Pitt himself.
The women were led to believe ‘they had a sentimental relationship with him’, before being convinced to invest hundreds of thousands of euros in film projects that did not exist.
In a statement, a representative for the Hollywood heartthrob said: “It is horrible that conmen exploit the strong connection between celebrities and their fans, and this is an important reminder to never respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not on social media”.
Police arrested the gang of five in Andalucia following a sophisticated operation which involved officers raiding five homes and seizing several mobile phones, bank cards, computers and a diary which provided evidence for the arrest.
One of the handwritten letters used to dupe the women read: “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”.
“The cybercriminals, to capture the victims, had studied their social networks and made psychological profiles of them, thus discovering that both women were two vulnerable people, lacking in affection and in a state of depression”, the Guardia Civil said.
“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”.
