French interior designer, 53-year-old Anne, became a victim of scammers who, using artificial intelligence, posed as actor Brad Pitt. The woman lost 850,000 dollars (about 88 million rubles) after believing in a romance with a fake actor who allegedly needed money for cancer treatment.
The scam began in February 2023 when Anne was contacted via social media, supposedly by Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta. The message claimed that her son was looking for a worthy companion. Initially skeptical, Anne soon trusted the scammers, who won her over with their tactics. “At first, I thought it was a joke, but I don’t know much about social media and didn’t understand what was happening,” she explained.
The fake Pitt messaged her and even sent AI-generated selfies. Anne was so caught up in the virtual romance that she divorced her husband. Later, the scammers claimed the actor had been hospitalized with kidney cancer and that his bank accounts were frozen due to a legal dispute with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. They asked Anne to send money for his treatment. She transferred a large sum to an account in Turkey after receiving an email from the “actor’s doctor.”
The scam continued for over a year until Anne saw real photos of Brad Pitt with his partner Ines de Ramon in the summer of 2024. Realizing she had been duped, she shared her story on French television. “I ask myself why they chose me to cause such harm. I’ve never hurt anyone,” Anne said.
After the interview aired, she faced mockery and online harassment. TF1 even removed the broadcast to protect her. “The story sparked a wave of ridicule. To protect the victim, we decided to take down the episode from the platform,” said show host Harry Roselmak on his personal blog.
Brad Pitt responded to the story, emphasizing the need for caution online, particularly with messages from celebrities who don’t manage their own social media accounts. “This serves as a reminder to be careful and not respond to such messages,” said a representative for Pitt. According to a McAfee global survey, one in four people worldwide has encountered AI-related scams.
In September 2024, Spanish police arrested five scammers who had tricked two Spanish women out of 325,000 euros by pretending to be the “Fight Club” star. At the end of 2024, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce after lengthy legal battles.
