Wednesday, September 25, 2024



02 of 11

Brad Pitt
A source close to Brad Pitt told PEOPLE in July that he has "virtually no contact" with his adult children — whom he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie — Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh. He still has visitation rights to see his minor children, Vivienne and Knox; Jolie "has the kids most of the time, but per their agreement, he has visitation with the younger kids," the insider said.

Shiloh filed to drop "Pitt" from her surname in June, a decision of which Pitt was "aware and upset." (Zahara and Vivienne have also indicated that they don't use the last name Pitt publicly.)

"The reminders that he’s lost his children are of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad," the insider added.



The Spanish authorities have announced the arrests of five people accused of swindling two women out of over $350,000 by posing as Brad Pitt online.

The arrests — three made last November and two in July — were announced in a statement released on Monday by Spain’s Interior Ministry, detailing a complex scheme that it attributed to a “criminal organization.”

The statement said the accused had contacted the women through an online fan page dedicated to Mr. Pitt and posed as the Oscar-winning American actor. The authorities said the accused had gone on to exchange instant messages and emails with their victims, who thought they were corresponding directly with Mr. Pitt.

Those behind the plot “managed to make these women believe they had become so close to the well-known American actor that they believed they had a romantic relationship with him,” the statement said. Then, according to the authorities, the Pitt posers asked for money.

One woman, who lives near Bilbao in the north of Spain, sent 150,000 euros (about $168,000) in a series of money transfers. The other, in Granada, sent €175,000.

About €85,000 has been recovered as part of the investigation, the statement said. The suspects, whose names have not been released, face charges including fraud and money laundering, according to the Spanish police.

Matthew Hiltzik, a publicist for Mr. Pitt, said on Wednesday that he had not been aware of the case, and noted that his client does not have any authorized social media accounts.

“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” Mr. Hiltzik wrote in a WhatsApp message. “But this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”

Online frauds and cybercrimes represent a growing threat. In the European Union, millions of people were attacked and exploited online in 2023, according to the Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment, a report from the bloc’s law enforcement agency.



A rep for the Oscar winner, 60, who does not have any official social media accounts, tells PEOPLE in a statement Sept. 25, "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."

Spain's Ministry of the Interior said in a Sept. 23 statement that five people were arrested and more are under investigation in connection to a "criminal organization" that allegedly defrauded over $350,000 from two women online.

The scammers, authorities said, posed as a "fake Brad Pitt" to target his fans.

In the press release, translated to English, authorities said the scammers messaged the victims as if they were Pitt, promising them a romantic relationship in the future. After building trust, the alleged scammers asked the women to transfer money to invest in various projects with him.

Three suspects were arrested in November and two more were arrested in July. Their charges include fraud, money laundering and forgery.


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