Two of the individuals under investigation in the procedure being conducted by the 4th Instruction Court in the Capital Granada, following a report from a neighbor in Granada in 2023 who claimed to have been the victim of an alleged scam involving around 175,000 euros, are currently in provisional prison. The scammers, who maintained an online relationship with Brad Pitt, have been detained.
The remaining approximately 15 individuals connected to the case, suspected of involvement, remain in provisional status, with one person still at large, as per judicial sources consulted by Europa Press regarding this ongoing investigation.
This investigation, characterized by its complexity due to the international scope and the large number of collaborators involved, all of whom are foreigners with varying degrees of participation, has led to the compilation of multiple police reports based on the data collected and the computers seized during the investigations.
The 4th Instruction Court in Granada intends to summon some of the individuals for further statements, as detailed by the same sources. Apart from the Granada neighbor who reported the incident, there are at least two other women believed to have fallen victim to fraud in Vizcaya, with the events unfolding at the beginning of last autumn, following the judicial authorization.
The various victims under investigation have appeared in court, with varying degrees of involvement in the case, as outlined by these same sources.
This is an investigation where computer experts and cybercrime specialists have meticulously combed through all available materials on computers and mobile phones.
In September of last year, the Guardia Civil announced the arrest of five individuals and the investigation of ten others linked to this case, allegedly part of a criminal organization that defrauded up to 325,000 euros from two women using the fake Brad Pitt method, in an operation dubbed Bralina. This operation spanned across the provinces of Almería, Málaga, Vizcaya, Barcelona, Madrid, Huelva, Sevilla, and Granada, where the initial victim’s complaint was first reported.
During the investigation, authorities were able to trace, block, and recover 85,000 euros from the total scams perpetrated against two victims, one in Granada and the other in Vizcaya. Additionally, five home searches were conducted, as detailed by the Reinforced Institute.
Numerous mobile phones, bank cards, prepaid phones, two personal computers, and documentation, including an agenda containing incriminating phrases, were seized during the operations.
The Guardia Civil’s operation commenced particularly in August 2023, following the Granada victim’s report of being duped out of 175,000 euros. Subsequent investigations revealed a second victim in the province of Vizcaya, also falling prey to the same method.
Further investigations unveiled how both victims were lured through an alleged online platform linked to the actor Pitt.
The scammers managed to convince these women, who had developed an intimate online relationship with the well-known American actor, to the extent that they believed they were in a romantic relationship with him. The fake Brad Pitt then proposed investment opportunities in various projects, leading to the transfer of 175,000 euros by the Granada victim and 150,000 euros by the Vizcaya victim.
Employing cyber tactics, the scammers had reportedly analyzed the victims’ social media profiles and psychological profiles, identifying them as «vulnerable, emotionally fragile, and depressed.» They utilized instant messaging platforms to exchange messages and emails with the women until convincing them that they were engaging with Brad Pitt himself, who promised them a romantic relationship and a future together.
Once the trust between the scammers and the victims reached its peak, the fake actor suggested joint investment in various business projects. Multiple money transfers were made until the victims realized they had been deceived and reported the incidents.
The Guardia Civil discovered that the cybercriminals had set up a network of bank accounts using falsified documentation from individuals of African nationalities, such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, through which the defrauded money was funneled.
It is also suspected that they employed numerous «mules,» who, in exchange for a small sum, received the defrauded money and subsequently transferred it to other accounts for money laundering purposes.
Following the investigation, the enforcement phase of this operation commenced in November 2023, resulting in the provisional arrest of two individuals in San Isidro de Níjar (Almería), as detailed by sources close to Europa. Additionally, the Guardia Civil apprehended a third individual in Malaga for receiving a portion of the defrauded money into their bank accounts.
Between January and February 2024, the Guardia Civil investigated three individuals in Amorebie (Vizcaya), one in Huelva, three in Sevilla, one in Madrid, one in Barcelona, and one in Granada. Ultimately, the leaders of the dismantled criminal organization were arrested in Torremolinos (Málaga) and Málaga, respectively. They were placed in provisional custody after spending several months in prison, following their presentation to the judicial authorities.
The son of the victim from Granada arrested
During the investigation, it was discovered that the Granada victim made three fraudulent transactions using her mother’s bank card, resulting in the theft of 17,000 euros. Consequently, the individual was arrested. Investigators have ruled out any connection between the child and the dismantled criminal organization.
The organization is being attributed to alleged offenses of aggravated fraud, money laundering, document forgery, and membership in a criminal gang. The operation was carried out by the technological crime investigation team of the Judicial Police unit and the Guardia Civil team in Granada.