Brad Pitt Warns Fans to Beware of Romance Scams
"Scammers Exploit the Bond Between Celebrities and Fans"
French Woman Defrauded of Over 800,000 Euros by Impersonator
Hollywood star actor Brad Pitt has urged fans to be especially cautious about romance scams. This comes after a recent case where a French woman was defrauded of a large sum by an online scammer impersonating Pitt.
On the 16th (local time), Yonhap News quoted the British daily The Guardian reporting on a romance scam involving someone impersonating Brad Pitt, along with a statement from Pitt's spokesperson. Pitt's side said, "It is terrible that scammers exploit the strong bond between fans and celebrities." They added, "This serves as a reminder not to respond to people who approach you online, especially if the actor usually does not use social networking services (SNS)," urging fans to be cautious.
According to French media including TF1, Anne (a pseudonym, 53), an interior designer living in R?union, a French overseas territory, created an Instagram account in February 2023. She posted winter vacation photos and received a message from a user claiming to be Brad Pitt.
The scammers first approached her with an account impersonating Brad Pitt's mother, then the next day, with an account claiming to be Brad Pitt himself, they expressed love and interest. They showered her with sweet words like "I want you. My love," continuing the sophisticated scam with AI-generated photos and fake passport copies.
Eventually, Anne, having fallen in love, divorced her husband and sent alimony payments of 775,000 euros (about 1.16 billion KRW) to the fake Brad Pitt. Believing the excuse that the account was frozen due to Brad Pitt's divorce from Angelina Jolie, Anne sent a total of 830,000 euros (about 1.2 billion KRW) over several months to the "Brad Pitt."
It was only last summer, after seeing a real photo of Brad Pitt with his girlfriend, that she realized she had been deceived. She then filed a complaint against the scammer.
Romance scams have become a social problem in Korea as well. The method involves selecting a target and approaching them as a lover from the start or using caring and sweet words to make them feel like a partner. After some time, when affection and trust have developed, the scammer demands money using financial information such as bank accounts and credit cards.
They build emotional connections over a long period and then demand money from victims under various pretexts. Such romance scams not only cause large financial losses but also affect victims regardless of gender, age, or status. Since February last year, the Financial Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency has been managing these cases, but as most scam groups operate overseas, it is known to be insufficient to effectively respond to these crimes.
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