the essential
Convinced that she had had an online relationship with actor Brad Pitt for a year, a Spanish woman was defrauded of 170,000 euros…
What if Brad Pitt fell madly in love with you? And if, as you had always dreamed of, this one offered you to shoot a film alongside him? This is what happened to a Spanish woman from Granada, whose hopes ended up collapsing: victim of a “major scam”, as the newspaper reports El Paísshe was cheated out of 170,000 euros…
The facts, reported by the Iberian daily, date back to the year 2022. The young woman – whose identity is unknown – is an unconditional fan of the actor of Seven, and “chat” regularly on a Facebook group of fans of the actor. As she invests in it, she is contacted by a user “of a certain age”. The man claims to be Brad Pitt. A discussion ensues.
“They are professionals”
The scammer, whose modus operandi is well established, alternates between periods during which he is sometimes emotional, sometimes distant. “They are professionals, they pause. They know when to give affection and when not to respond”, explains the victim’s lawyer to El Pais. Thanks to fake photos of the actor, the scammer gradually gains the confidence of his interlocutor.
One day, during a discussion, the fake Brad Pitt explains that he “suddenly fell in love”, reports another Spanish newspaper, El Dia. He promises the woman to “come to Spain to meet her in person”, and even goes so far as to offer her to “shoot a film together”.
This is where the trap closes: taking advantage of the trust of the latter, the scammer asks her for money. The future victim complies: transfers of up to 30,000 euros are sent to the false actor. In total, he will receive 170,000 euros.
It was only in May 2023 that the victim discovered the deception. She approached a lawyer and, as reported El Paísended up file a complaint for “fraud, identity theft and fraud”.
