Do Not Text “Brad Pitt” on WhatsApp
As a general rule of thumb, if someone claiming to be a celebrity is getting in touch with you via text, DM, or WhatsApp message, that is a scam. You and I may know that, but not everyone does. Take, for example, two women in Spain who were swindled out of $362,000 by scammers who claimed to be Brad Pitt.
According to CNN, five people have been arrested and ten more were investigated as part of Operation Bralina. The victims were reportedly contacted through a Brad Pitt fan site and were told the actor wanted to invest in projects with them. The police reported that the fake relationships escalated until the women believed they were talking with Pitt himself on WhatsApp, where the fake version of the star “promised them a romantic relationship and a future together.”
As if that weren’t enough to bum you out, this quote from the Guardia Civil (Spain’s national police force) probably will: “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.” In somewhat good news, the police were able to recover $95,000.
Now is probably a good time to reach out to the women in your life who are “suffering from depression and a lack of affection.” Maybe take them out to a nice lunch or a coffee and check in with them. What’s going on with them? Have they made any new connections recently? Are there any A-list movie stars wooing them via text? Have they considered Match.com instead?
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