Breaking News: How a Fake Brad Pitt Scam Resulted in Money Lost and Arrests….. See More

Spanish police arrested five people for impersonating Brad Pitt in order to scam women by convincing them that the famed Hollywood actor was in love with them. The two women targeted by the online scammers lost a combined €325,000 ($364,000), Spanish media reported.

Police say that the criminals operated by visiting online platforms for fans of the actor, and built up psychological profiles of the potential victims. They chose the two women, reportedly both aged 60, because they believed they lacked romantic relationships and appeared to be in states of depression.

The scammers then sent WhatsApp messages and emails pretending to be Pitt (who does not have any social media presence) and promised future romantic relationships.

My love for you is true. Feeling from my heart and forever, please forgive me and accept me … it is because I love you and am very much in love with you,” one handwritten letter that was found during a search of the criminals’ property reads, according to Times of London.

After the criminals convinced the victims of Pitt’s love, they began suggesting the women invest with him in various projects. Police have since been able to recover approximately $95,000 (€85,000) on behalf of the victims.

In a statement to the New York Times, Matthew Hiltzik— a publicist to Pitt—issued a warning about the risks of scams and reminded the public that the actor doesn’t have a social media presence.

Hiltzik is quoted as telling the publication: “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities. But this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”

TIME has reached out to Guardia Civil, the Spanish police agency handling the case for further comment.

If you have been scammed, you must act immediately and contact the relevant authorities to alert them of your situation. In the U.S., experts recommend contacting the Federal trade commission at the ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The main cause of action is prevention, but if you do find yourself falling victim to a scam, there are additional steps you can take.

WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – Every October, we shine a light on domestic violence and the importance of awareness and education – critical components in prevention.

I sat down with Carolyn Thomas. Through the years, she has become one of the most outspoken survivors of domestic violence – admitting she made some life-altering mistakes and hoping that we can all learn from them.

But before we begin this story, we have to warn you – some of the images you are about to see are graphic. However, they are necessary in order for you to understand the ramifications of domestic violence.

Carolyn is known as “the woman without a face.” She shot to stardom when her story was featured on shows like Larry King and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She shouldn’t be alive after one of the most horrific domestic violence incidents imaginable.

“I couldn’t believe I was alive,” says Carolyn. “How is somebody alive with your your right eye gone, your nose gone, your top lip gone, the whole west side [of] your face gone?”

Carolyn lost 80 percent of her face – and so much more. It has been 21 years since that fateful day when her abusive ex-boyfriend, Terrence Kelly, tried to kill her.

“2003. December the fifth,” Carolyn explains. “It started an argument and a tussle that ended up in the closet, which is where I kept the 44 magnum. He got the gun, he shot my mom in the abdomen area. He dragged me into the living room and shot me in the face at point blank range. Next thing I know, when I wake up I’m in the hospital in Temple, Texas.”

Domestic violence touched Carolyn’s life early on. She saw her mother battle through an unhealthy relationship with her father.

“Screaming and yelling, maybe like pushing or shoving……it turned into a domestic violence relationship, and they ended up divorcing when I was five,” Carolyn explains.

Her adolescent years were kinder. Her outgoing spirit led her to become a high school track star. Carolyn’s friends always knew her to be a cheerful person.

That all changed in 1992 — when Terrence came into her life. She recalls when her mother and grandmother first met him.

“So my mom’s impression of Terrence was that he was controlling, and my grandmother’s first impression of him, which he is very good on first impressions, she said he was crazy,” Carolyn explains. “I kind of thought to myself, at 22 like, they’ll have a clue of what they’re talking about. I absolutely ignored them.”

There were signs everywhere. Terrence was constantly in trouble with the law. He sold drugs — and was even an alleged suspect in a capital murder case. He was also terribly insecure.

He was just jealous all the way around. Period. Jealous of me talking to his friends, jealous of me talking to my male cousins. He was just jealous. Period,” Carolyn explains.

It started with just a slap. Eventually, years of turmoil and violence would follow.

“Most of the time he would apologize after the abuse,” says Carolyn. “Most women of abuse or have been involved in abuse, we already know how that goes. You know, most of the time they do it again.”

And yet — she wouldn’t leave him.

“I had grew to love him, and I thought that, you know, I could change him,” says Carolyn. “I learned later on down the road that you can’t change anyone but yourself.”

She learned that lesson too late. Not only did she lose her face, she lost her mother. Janice Reeves did not survive the gunshot.

“When people cry, we open our mouths, we cry out, we yell out. And just imagine not being able to do that, and having to do that with your jaws wired was awful,” Carolyn explains.

A key part of her struggle is the guilt.

“I dealt with that fact, that if I had never said it was okay to come over to the apartment…that guilt for years. For years, years and years,” Carolyn explains.

She tells me it took all the strength in the world to grieve her mother while spending six months trying to stay alive….and wondering what’s next for the woman without a face.

As for Terrence, the man who committed this crime, he is an inmate at the Coffield Prison in Tennessee colony – serving two life sentences for the murder of Janice Reeves and attempted murder of Carolyn.

“I would say to that young Carolyn that you should have listened,” she says. “To my mom, my grandmother. If I had just listened, I wouldn’t be here telling this story now.”

Carolyn now eclipses the regret with steadfast courage. She is a fierce advocate for those who could be headed down the same path she was on.

“I knew I was left to save lives. And so, that’s been my mission ever since,” Carolyn says.

She has learned to channel all that pain and anguish — using her deeply personal experience — for a greater good.

“I lost a whole lot, you know, staying in that relationship. And that’s why I travel, why I try to motivate young women to get out of there because, you know, worse off than me, you’re going to be six foot under,” says Carolyn.

She calls her mission Voices 4 All: The Carolyn Thomas Foundation. This is a non-profit she founded in 2006 which supports victims and survivors of domestic violence.