French woman's $875,000 Brad Pitt scam nightmare revealed
Anne, a French citizen, lost 830,000 euros (approximately $875,000), believing she was helping Brad Pitt with cancer treatment. "The actor" supposedly sent her numerous photos as proof of his illness. However, these pictures were generated by AI.
The development of new technologies has provided scammers with ever more sophisticated methods to extract money from unsuspecting individuals. Many scams use the "celebrity" tactic. The internet is rife with fake accounts supposedly belonging to celebrities. As outlined in a previous report, we highlighted a scam where someone impersonated Henry Cavill from "The Witcher," sending romantic messages to a journalist. Unfortunately, one French citizen was unable to discern reality from deception, believing the mother of a sick Brad Pitt contacted her.
Brad Pitt scam extracts hundreds of thousands of euros from a woman
A French citizen, known only as Anne, fell victim to fraud, losing 830,000 euros. Someone convinced her that he was Brad Pitt, using images generated by artificial intelligence.
Anne, an interior designer, first received messages about Brad Pitt's illness in 2023. She shared her story in a report for a French television station. Someone contacted her, posing as Jane Etta Pitt, the star’s mother (now over 80 years old). The conversation slowly drifted towards the idea that Anne would make a wonderful partner for the actor. "You're the type of woman my son needs," she was told.
Soon afterward, she received a message from another account, allegedly from Brad Pitt himself, introduced by "his mother." At the time, experiencing a challenging marriage, Anne entered into a relationship with the scammer, exchanging poems and photos. Initially wary, the persistent daily messages and images eventually reassured her. The scammer, impersonating Brad Pitt, requested money, claiming it was needed for cancer treatment.
As the relationship progressed, the scammer asked for increasingly larger sums, justifying them with supposed customs fees on gifts. Awaiting a divorce, Anne agreed to help, believing in the situation's authenticity. The scammer even sent photos from a "hospital" to validate his requests. Today, these photos are accessible online, as Anne appeared for the first time before cameras on the French station TF1 and shared her story with the media.
Anne lost nearly a million euros before suspecting fraud. Her suspicion arose when she saw pictures of Brad with his new partner, Ines de Ramon. She reported the incident to the police, who launched an investigation. It remains uncertain if any money was recovered. Currently, Anne is in a clinic due to severe depression. Her story has drawn sympathy from internet users, who emphasize the cruelty inherent in romance scams.
