CNN Poll: Harris and Trump locked in exceedingly close presidential race
New species of ghost shark discovered by New Zealand scientists
Prince Harry says harms of social media have created an 'epidemic' for today's youth
John Leguizamo reaches back in time to reclaim Latin American history for a PBS documentary series
Son of suspect in second attempted assassination of Trump arrested on child pornography charges
FAA says Boeing safety culture reforms may take years
Paramount Global begins second phase of layoffs in U.S., internal memo says
Tom Watson, longtime Associated Press broadcast editor in Kentucky, has died at age 85
Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre says he has Parkinson's disease
(CNN) — Police in Spain have arrested five people accused of scamming two women out of 325,000 euros ($362,000) by pretending to be Hollywood star Brad Pitt online.
Ten other people were also investigated as part of Operation Bralina, which spanned eight provinces, according to a statement from the Guardia Civil published Monday.
One woman lost 175,000 euros ($195,000) to the fraudsters, while another lost 150,000 euros ($167,000). Of that total, police managed to recover 85,000 euros ($95,000).
Both victims were contacted via a Brad Pitt fan site by fraudsters who managed to convince them that the actor wanted to invest in various projects with them, police said.
“In order to find their victims, the cyber criminals studied their social networks and put together a psychological profile of them, discovering as a result that both women were vulnerable people suffering from depression and a lack of affection,” reads the statement.
“They also used instant messaging platforms to exchange messages and emails with the two women until they thought they were chatting via WhatsApp with Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together.”
Both women ended up making numerous bank transfers to the person they thought was Pitt, until they realized they had been scammed and went to the police.
Investigators found that, as part of the scam, a network of bank accounts were created using fake identity documents. “Mules” were also used to help to launder money through their own bank accounts in exchange for a small payment.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
