Scammed by fake Pitt: French woman who lost $880k in romance hoax speaks out
Anne, a 53-year-old woman who donated $880,000 to treat Brad Pitt, who was allegedly seriously ill, gave a new statement to the French station TF1. The broadcast report explained how a scam extracted this substantial sum from her. Meanwhile, the actor's spokesperson addressed the theft of his identity.
Artificial intelligence, which undoubtedly assists us in many daily situations, also brings many dangers. A French interior decorator, Anne, learned this the hard way. Due to her gullibility, she has become a subject in the global media. She was convinced she was corresponding with Brad Pitt himself, who started exchanging messages with her on Instagram nearly two years ago.
The contact was initiated by the actor's "mother," Jane Etta Pitt, whose fake profile was created by a group of online scammers. This impersonator effectively convinced the 53-year-old to financially support her son, who, according to the story presented, needed money for kidney cancer treatment. This was made believable with AI-generated photos of the actor in a hospital bed, along with love declarations purportedly sent by him. During almost 1.5 years of correspondence, Anne divorced her husband, blinded by her feelings for the star. She transferred $880,000 to his account, money she received from the division of assets.
The scammed Frenchwoman appeared before millions of viewers
The situation became clear to Anne a little over six months ago when the media released images of Brad Pitt with his new partner, Ines de Ramon. In an interview with TF1, she admitted with difficulty that she had not verified the information presented to her and had been under the spell of affectionate words and declarations sent from what turned out to be a fake account.
I was in love with the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to a woman. Everything was carefully thought out and planned. I ask myself why they [scammers - ed. note] chose me to do such harm like this? I've never hurt anyone. These people deserve hell - she said in front of the cameras, simultaneously admitting that she fell into a deep depression.
Anne and a group of journalists working on her case sought help from Marwan Ouaraba, the owner of the website Find My Scammer, which has been helping to detect cybercriminals for years. He discovered with his colleagues that a group of young Nigerians was behind the scam. The funds deposited by the 53-year-old were feeding their cryptocurrency wallets.
It wasn't an easy task. I had to involve my entire team. We sent them a trap link hidden in a message. By clicking on it, they unknowingly shared access to their phones with us - is how Ouaraba described how they discovered the perpetrators' identities in an interview with the French "20 Minutes".
The case was then handed over to the local police. The investigation revealed that the method of extorting money under the guise of Brad Pitt in need of treatment worked with 33 other people. The images of other Hollywood celebrities, including Keanu Reeves, were similarly misused.
Brad Pitt's spokesperson commented on the media frenzy
The star's press office issued a statement about the scandal, which was made public at the beginning of the year. His representatives did not hide their outrage at the situation.
It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities. But this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence - as stated in the statement sent to global media outlets.
Brad Pitt's spokesperson simultaneously appealed for people to verify the authenticity of famous people's profiles on social media, for example, by confirming their identity with the blue check mark visible next to their username.
