Brad Pitt is expressing his sympathies to a pair of women who were scammed out of more than $350,000 by a group of criminals pretending to be him.
“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 representative for Pitt said in a statement to People on Wednesday.
The comments come just days after Spanish authorities announced they’d arrested five suspects in connection with the celebrity con, the New York Times reported. They’re accused of targeting women on an internet page for fans of the Oscar-winning actor and then tricking them into thinking “they had a sentimental relationship with him,” according to statement from Spain’s Guardia civil police.
After trading direct messages with the victims and building their trust, the scammers then asked each of the women to transfer money to them, calling it an investment in some of Pitt’s various projects.
One woman was defrauded out of more than $168,000 while another sent them around $195,500, according to authorities. Of that, only $94,000 has been recovered so far as part of the investigation.
“The cybercriminals, to capture the victims, had studied their social networks and made a psychological profile of them, thus discovering that both women were two vulnerable people, lacking in affection and in a state of depression,” police said.
Three suspects were arrested in November and two more were arrested in July, according to the police statement. They’re facing a range of charges, including fraud, money laundering and forgery.
Police noted several others believed to be operating through the same criminal organization are under investigation.
