Brad Pitt Catfish Scams Women Out of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

A Brad Pitt imposter has allegedly scammed women out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though never meeting the man who catfished them, they believed he was the A-list actor. Yahoo News reports Spanish authorities released a statement reporting multiple suspects were able to contact women through Pitt’s fan page on Facebook to take money from them. 

Per the release, there were three arrests made: one last November and two in July. In total, there have been five arrests. They say the suspects exchanged emails and messages with the victims online. “These women believe they had become so close to the well-known American actor,” the statement reads. Two of the women believed they’d developed “a romantic relationship” with Pitt. the women were also asked for money by the scammers, and were successfully swindled out of the cash. 

The New York Times reports one woman from northern Spain sent an estimated $168,000 in money transfers. A woman who lives in Granada sent about $175,500 to the scammers. Variety reports that $94,000 has been recovered from the investigation thus far.

Pitt’s publicist Matthew Hiltzik told The New York Times: “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities. But this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.” 

The five suspects face multiple charges related to fraud and money laundering. Their names have not been made public.

Meanwhile,  Pitt has been dating Ines de Ramon for over a year. de Ramon works for the jewelry brand Anita Ko as vice president of the company, according to Elle Magazine. The two recently appeared together at an international film festival. They’ve traveled together extensively, with paparazzi spotting them in Cabo, Mexico on New Year’s Eve, and ringing in Pitt’s 60th birthday together.