Brad Pitt’s rep is speaking out after scammers were arrested for allegedly pretending to be the actor in order to take money from women on social media.
A rep for the Oscar winner, 60, who does not have any official social media accounts, tells PEOPLE in a statement Sept. 25, “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.”
Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said in a Sept. 23 statement that five people were arrested and more are under investigation in connection to a “criminal organization” that allegedly defrauded over $350,000 from two women online.
The scammers, authorities said, posed as a “fake Brad Pitt” to target his fans.
In the press release, translated to English, authorities said the scammers messaged the victims as if they were Pitt, promising them a romantic relationship in the future. After building trust, the alleged scammers asked the women to transfer money to invest in various projects with him.
Three suspects were arrested in November and two more were arrested in July. Their charges include fraud, money laundering and forgery.
Several celebrities have spoken out to warn fans of fraudulent accounts claiming to be them while attempting to solicit and scam on social media, including Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp and more.
Brad Pitt on Feb. 24, 2023. Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty
In August, Florence Pugh shared a statement on her Instagram Stories saying, “Just wanted to remind everyone that I don’t have any other account other than this one. No private pages or private chats or private messaging accounts.. just this one.”
“Been brought to my attention that some people have been asked for money/pictures/communication through pages pretending to me,” the actress, 28, added at the time.
“I’m firstly sorry that this is a weird hobby that some people like doing, and I’m also sorry that you were [led] to believe that those spaces were save. Please unfollow and reports.”
