Two Brad Pitt fans experienced the ultimate disappointment—and wallet buster—when it turns out the person online they thought was one of their favorite actors was actually a group of people scamming them, according to police in Spain. The Times of India reports on the arrest of five individuals there who authorities say made contact with the two victims on an internet fan page for Pitt, then defrauded them via email and WhatsApp of a total of nearly $365,000.
The nation's Guardia Civil Police force notes in a statement that the women—one lost $195,000, the other almost $170,000 to phony investments set up by the alleged scammers—believed "they had a sentimental relationship" with the party on the other side of the screen, which they believed to be Pitt, per the Guardian. "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 said.
They add that the women believed they were conversing "with Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together." A raid of five homes in Andalusia turned up almost $95,000 of the stolen funds, as well as bank cards, cellphones, a pair of computers, and a journal "in which the phrases used by the fraudsters to deceive their victims were written down." Marca notes that 10 others believed to be tied to the scheme are also being investigated. (More Brad Pitt stories.)
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