Brad Pitt finds himself caught at the center of a scheming scandal. This tale, with twists truly stacked high, stars the very same Brad Pitt who won our hearts with his performances in such films as *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* and *Fight Club*—a story that unexpectedly and unceremoniously snatched away Pitt’s good name and much of his likability. The unlikable act that this story shines light upon is the deceit perpetrated by shifty con men and women who duped gullible Brad Pitt fans out of real money. Indeed, the international con job pulled off by Pitt fans and the ill-fated lesson learned by the butt of the con practically begs for a movie to be made about it. Once upon a time, in Brad Pitt’s Hollywood, a con job like this honored no one.
With impressive efficiency, authorities in Spain have made five arrests connected to the high-profile, online impersonation of iconic actor Brad Pitt. The uncanny ruse? Creating fake social media profiles that managed to dupe a number of starry-eyed romantics into believing that, indeed, they were pursuing a forbidden love with Pitt himself. If that weren’t bizarre enough, these phonies/scammers managed to extract over $350,000 from victims in what can only be termed as a long, drawn-out con. And with con artists and scammers abounding these days, it seems only fitting that a statement from Pitt’s camp serves as a warning for fans to be on the lookout for these despicable digital tricksters.
Imagine this: a star-struck person’s dream come true! Except it isn’t true. An individual pays to be part of a fantasy world where they can pretend to be with Brad Pitt and vice versa. The story focuses on a woman who fell for the Brad Pitt impersonator and ended up with a penny (or dime) in her heart instead of the handsome Hollywood man’s face. This was a payment plan, but let’s be real—the accounts draining these star-struck individuals are coming at a considerable human (and monetary) cost that can lead one to ask, “Is this really some sort of glam scam?”
Brad’s instance of deception peaked last week at the glamorous *Wolf* premiere, where he was taking a serene stroll, blissfully ignorant of the situation. His appearance was high drama, with a gussied-up Brad posing for photos, obviously not in the know about what was about to happen. Celebrity watchers and experts parse this for us. Is it a sign of the times? And what time would that be? We are moving, slowly but surely, into a new digital utopia where the lines between our real lives and make-believe worlds are kind of mushy. “We’re in a new age,” as Brad himself so wisely framed it, reflecting on the story streaming services have to tell now that they have a huge platform from which to work.
Beware, hapless schemers! The exuberant case which Hollywood hunk and humanitarian Brad Pitt has taken on against a pair of con artists is a telling one. It is partly about the right of public figures to control and profit from their likenesses and images. But more importantly, it is about all of us and how we should handle the increasingly frequent requests we get to send money to someone who has somehow become convinced we are (fill in the blank) — their best friend, secret admirer, or wife! In the absence of old-fashioned common sense, Pitt’s publicists hope this case will serve as a cautionary tale.
