Woman Scammed Out of £700k by Fake Brad Pitt in Heartbreaking AI Fraud
A French woman lost nearly £700,000 to a scammer posing as Brad Pitt, believing she was helping him with cancer treatment
Anne, Brad Pitt, AI Scam, France, Cancer Treatment, Fraud
Paris: A French woman named Anne was left devastated after falling for a scam where someone pretended to be Brad Pitt. This whole mess started when she got a message on Instagram from someone claiming to be the actor’s mother back in February 2023.
Anne, who’s 53 and an interior designer, thought she was in a real relationship with the Hollywood star. She received poorly edited photos of him with sweet messages, and then “Brad” slid into her DMs, saying his mom had told him all about her.
What followed was a year-long online romance filled with daily texts, romantic poems, and even AI-generated images of Pitt. Anne was smitten and, feeling unhappy in her marriage, she decided to divorce her husband and started sending money to the scammer.
At first, it was just over £7,500 for “customs fees” on gifts. Then, she sent over £50,000 for supposed kidney cancer treatment, with fake doctors emailing her about how “Brad” was fighting for his life. The scammer even claimed he couldn’t access his money due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie.
Anne thought she was saving a life, despite her daughter warning her about the scam. She was convinced that once she met him in person, everyone would see she was right. But the reality hit her hard when she saw real photos of Brad with his girlfriend in summer 2024.
Even then, the scammer kept sending fake news updates, claiming Brad was secretly dating someone special. To make matters worse, someone pretending to be an FBI agent tried to “rescue” her from the scam for another £4,200.
Now, Anne is left with nothing. She sold her furniture, moved in with a friend, and started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for legal fees. After three suicide attempts, she’s been hospitalized for severe depression. She’s filed a complaint, and an investigation is underway.
This isn’t the first time scammers have used Brad Pitt’s name. Just last year, five people in Spain were arrested for similar scams, swindling women out of hundreds of thousands of euros.
Brad Pitt himself had to warn fans about these scams after learning that criminals were impersonating him to defraud women. His team emphasized the importance of being cautious with unsolicited online messages, especially from people claiming to be celebrities.