French Woman Says AI Brad Pitt Scammed Her Out of $850K

A 53-year-old French woman, identified as Anne, was deceived into believing she was in a romantic relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, leading her to transfer over $800,000 to scammers.

The deception began in 2023 when Anne received a Facebook message from someone posing as Pitt’s mother. Subsequently, she was contacted by an individual claiming to be Brad Pitt himself. The scammers convinced Anne to divorce her millionaire husband and persuaded her to send approximately $9,000, purportedly to cover customs fees for gifts they claimed to have sent her. They further exploited her by requesting substantial funds for alleged cancer treatments, supporting their claims with AI-generated images and videos depicting Pitt in a hospital bed. Anne used nearly all of her divorce settlement money to fulfill these requests.

The ruse unraveled when Anne saw recent photographs of Brad Pitt with his current girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, which contradicted the scammers’ narrative. Realizing the deceit, she filed a complaint with the authorities. Currently, Anne is undergoing treatment for severe depression at a clinic.

This incident highlights the prevalence of “romance scams,” where fraudsters impersonate celebrities to exploit unsuspecting individuals emotionally and financially. Authorities advise skepticism towards unsolicited online messages, especially from individuals claiming to be public figures, and recommend refraining from sending money or personal information to unverified contacts.