Brad Pitt’s representative is speaking out after five people were arrested by Spanish authorities for allegedly posing as the actor online and scamming two women out of over $350,000.
According to a statement released by Spain’s Interior Ministry on Monday, three alleged scammers were arrested last November and two others were taken into custody in July. The Spanish police stated that the individuals were part of a “criminal organization” that contacted women on social media while pretending to be the Oscar-winning actor and later swindled the victims out of money.
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, and this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” a spokesperson for Pitt told Fox News Digital.
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Pitt, 60, does not have authorized social media accounts on Instagram, X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, TikTok or any other platform.
Per the police statement, the alleged scammers contacted the women through a Brad Pitt fan page and posed as the “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” star. According to authorities, the suspects created psychological profiles of prospective victims and identified two women who they believed were vulnerable targets.
The impostors began exchanging instant messages and emails with the women, who thought that they were communicating with the real Pitt. The suspects “managed to make these women believe they had become so close to the well-known American actor that they believed they had a romantic relationship with him.”
After establishing “maximum” trust with the victims, the scammers then asked the women for money to invest with him in “various commercial projects.”
In a series of money transfers, one woman gave the alleged impostors around $167,000 while another sent approximately $195,500. Authorities stated that they were able to recover around $94,000 so far during the investigation.
Per the Spanish police, the alleged scammers are facing charges including fraud, forgery and money laundering.
Pitt has previously spoken out about his disinterest in using social media. In a 2014 interview with GQ, Pitt explained why he didn’t see the need to join Twitter, now X.
“Listen, I see a benefit in it. You could, you know, combat the misconceptions or the misquotes immediately. And if I’d have had that in my younger days, I’d have used it,” he told the outlet.
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“Because I felt quite used, and completely misunderstood, and misread, and not given the benefit of the doubt,” Pitt continued. “You know, I felt that a lot in my first years. I would have brought some logic to the table, and brought it immediately. But now, at this point, I don’t want to bother with it.”
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During a 2019 interview with E! News, Pitt was asked what it would take for him to join Instagram.
“Never gonna happen,” he said.
“No, I’d never say never,” Pitt qualified before adding, “Life’s pretty good without it, I don’t see the point.”
