Five people have been arrested by Spanish police on suspicion of defrauding two ladies of €325,000 (20.3 million pesos) through online personas assumed to be Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said in a statement last September 23 that the suspects had connected the women through the Oscar-winning actor’s fanpage, leading them to believe “they had a sentimental relationship with him.”
The gang members allegedly persuaded the women to invest in several fictitious enterprises after taking on the persona of Pitt.
A woman from the southern province of Andalusia lost €175,000 (10.9 million pesos), while another woman from the northern Basque Country lost €150,000 (9.3 million pesos) due to fraud.
“The cybercriminals, to capture the victims, had studied their social networks and made a psychological profile of them, thus discovering that both women were two vulnerable people, lacking in affection and in a state of depression,” the police stated.
The police further elaborated on how the scam was done stating, “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.”
Five persons were taken into custody by police in the southern region of Andalusia, including the group’s alleged leaders.
Several cell phones, bank cards, two computers, and a diary “in which the phrases used by the fraudsters to deceive their victims were written down” were seized during their raids of five homes.
Officers were able to retrieve the €85,000 (5.3 million pesos) of the money that was defrauded from the two ladies.
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