Brad Pitt’s team have hit back after a gang of conmen posing as the Hollywood star swindled more than €325,000 from unsuspecting women in a shocking scam uncovered on the Costa del Sol.
Credit: Shutterstock, Michael Potts F1
Brad Pitt’s team have hit back after a gang of conmen posing as the Hollywood star swindled more than €325,000 from unsuspecting women in a shocking scam uncovered on the Costa del Sol.
The Oscar-winner’s representative has issued a clear warning to fans, reminding them that Pitt has no social media accounts and urging people to be wary of online imposters. “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” said the actor’s spokesperson in a statement to Fox News. “This is a reminder to not respond to online messages, especially from actors who don’t use social media.”
The new statement follows the arrest of five people involved in the outrageous fraud, in which they convinced victims they were in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star.
The Guardia Civil on the Costa del Sol has dismantled an organised network of Brad Pitt-impersonating fraudsters who managed to steal €325,000 from their victims.
Operation “Bralina” was carried out in cooperation with law enforcement from several Spanish provinces, including Malaga, Granada and Vizcaya. The two ring-leaders were arrested in Malaga and Torremolinos.
The Costa del Sol gang went to extreme lengths, even creating sophisticated psychological profiles and analysing their victims to target the most vulnerable. Fraudsters would target vulnerable users of an online Brad Pitt fan website. They would pose as Hollywood stars and catfish their victims before convincing them to invest in fake business ventures.
Authorities say two women were conned into transferring large amounts of money. One of the victims of the scam lost more than €170,000, while another handed over €150,000 after being promised returns on fake business investments, according to official police sources. Police have managed to recover around €80,000, but the emotional toll on the victims is devastating.
The gang’s arrest marks a significant breakthrough, with three of the fraudsters being detained last November and two more in July. The group now faces charges of fraud, forgery, and money laundering as they await trial.
Pitt’s team has also reiterated that the 60-year-old actor has never engaged with social media and has no plans to start. In a candid interview with GQ in 2014, the Fight Club star admitted that while he might have found social media useful in his younger years when it wasn’t around, it wasn’t for him. “Life’s pretty good without it,” he quipped.
With the case ongoing, Spanish police are urging other potential victims to come forward. The Brad Pitt imposter scandal has rocked the Costa del Sol, leaving many locals wondering just how far these fraudsters were willing to go to deceive vulnerable women.
In what is perhaps the saddest twist to this story, Spanish police also found that one of the victims had also been defrauded by her own son. During the investigation, authorities found that the son of one of the victims, a lady from Granada, had used his mother’s debit card to steal €17,000. He has also been arrested. Investigators do not currently believe that the son has any connection to the gang.
As the investigation continues, one thing’s for sure: Brad Pitt’s message to fans is loud and clear: if a ‘Hollywood star’ pops up in your DMs, think twice before you reply.
