They presented themselves as Brad Pitt and extorted 325,000 euros from two women
In Spain, five people were arrested who extorted 325,000 euros from two women, posing as the famous American actor Brad Pitt.
During the investigation, it turned out that the criminals contacted their victims through a website for fans of the American actor, gained their trust and led them to believe that they had started a romantic relationship with Brad Pitt, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country announced on its official website.
“We managed to find, block and return 85,000 euros of the total amount of money stolen from the two victims,” the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement.
Police raided five homes and seized several mobile phones, bank cards, prepaid phone cards, two personal computers and documents, including a diary, which contained phrases used by fraudsters to deceive their victims.
Operation “Bralina” began in August 2023, when a woman reported that 175,000 euros had been stolen from her. As a result of the investigation, the agents discovered that there was another victim in the province of Biscay who was also defrauded using the same method.
They convinced the victims that they were dating Brad Pitt himself
Cybercriminals, in order to lure the victims, previously studied their social networks and made a psychological profile, which revealed that both women are vulnerable people, with emotional weaknesses and in a depressed state.
Through instant messaging platforms, they convinced the victims to date Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together.
When the degree of trust between fraudsters and victims was at its highest point, the fake actor suggested that they invest with him in various commercial projects. Both victims made numerous money transfers until they discovered that they had been scammed and reported the case to the police.
The action was carried out in the provinces of Almeria, Malaga, Basque Country, Barcelona, Granada, Madrid, Huelva and Seville.
The Civil Guard revealed that cybercriminals created a network of bank accounts registered with forged documents of people of African nationalities such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone into which fraudulently obtained money was received.
The organization was accused of fraud, money laundering, falsification of documents and membership in a criminal group.
Source: 021
Photo: screenshot
Source: bizlife.rs
