Happily ever after with the woman who was assumed to be a Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt quickly turned into a living nightmare.
On January 12, French television channel TF1 aired an episode of its show “Sept à Huit,” which told the story of a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne who discovered she had lost 830,000 euros (approximately $850,000) in personal funds because she thought she was sending money to Pitt, a cancer patient.
Using forged documents and pictures, as well as artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was talking to the 61-year-old actor and that she was in a relationship with him.
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A woman was duped into believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt after she was contacted by someone claiming to be the actor on Instagram. (Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
She was allegedly contacted on Instagram in February 2023 by a person who identified herself as Pitt’s 85-year-old mother, Jane Etta PittAnne received a message that said, “My son needs a woman like you,” trans BFM TV and The Sunday Times.
“At first I told myself it was fake, it was funny,” said Anne, according to AFP. “But I wasn’t used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.” Despite her skepticism, Anne continued the conversation before the alleged Pitt texted her.
“Mom told me a lot about you,” the fraudster wrote.
Anne was initially implicated in the plan by someone pretending to be Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane. Jane and her son are seen here at the 2012 Academy Awards. (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)
Anne was showered with countless romantic messages and poetry, as well as dressed-up photos. The operation was multi-faceted, with others posing as Pitt’s manager and daughter Shiloh, who he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, to aid in the scam. After a contentious eight-year legal battle, Pitt and Jolie have finalized their divorce settlement 2024 after it was legally declared “alone” in 2019.
“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is their multi-layered approach,” Marva Bailer, artificial intelligence expert and founder and CEO of Qualaix, told Fox News Digital. “Scammers build trust over time, often pretending to be a family member, staff member, or even someone close to the celebrity who claims to be helping the celebrity by managing their charitable efforts. This indirect approach makes the scam more believable, since it’s not the celebrity directly asking for help , it’s someone who’s positioned to be more relatable or ‘realistic’. It plays on the idea that a celebrity is too proud or private to ask for help on their own, which makes the situation more honest.”
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce settlement in 2024. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Anne was worried about her lack of visual communication with the actor, prompting the scammer to send her an AI-curated video. Money was brought into the conversation when Anne was told she would have to pay more than €9,000 in customs to accept luxury gifts from a person posing as Pitt.
Recently divorced Anne told the scammer that she had received a hefty divorce settlement of €775,000. Following this admission, the Pitt impersonator told Anne that he has kidney cancer and is struggling to pay for treatment due to his ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie. Anne sent most of her divorce settlement to the fake Pitt.
Throughout the treatment, the alleged Pitt was texting Anne a series of polished images showing the time spent in the hospital for treatment. In one image, Pitt is lying in a hospital bed holding a card that reads, “Anne I love you.”
Groomed photos of Brad Pitt sent to Anne. An AI-generated video of Pitt was also sent. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)
A beginner in social networks, Anne repeatedly had longer doubts about how to block the number of fraudsters, eventually succumbed to her feelings and continued communication. After first reading the report that Pitt was in a relationship with a business woman Inés de Ramonshe was sent a fake TV report to ease her doubts, clarifying that the couple were not together.
When photos of the couple were published over the summer, Anne knew it was all a hoax and decided to take legal action. The story was eventually pulled by TF1 as it began to experience extreme ridicule. The network released a statement saying they decided to pull the story from their platforms after the initial airing “sparked a wave of harassment” against the victim.
Brad Pitt and his girlfriend, Inés de Ramon, were photographed together at the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain. (Kym Illman/Getty Images)
A Pitt representative said Hey! News Jan. 15 that the situation involving Anne is “terrible.”
“It’s terrible that scammers are taking advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” the rep said, “but this is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online contact, especially from actors who don’t have a social media presence.”
Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms. A representative for the actor did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Bailer echoed those sentiments, sharing that people are at risk given how readily available celebrity images are: “With access to a celebrity’s public persona and online presence, they can create fake social media accounts or send very convincing emails or messages that look like they come directly from the celebrity or their team, eager to be a part of something that seems exclusive, can easily be tricked into thinking they’re hanging out with someone they trust.”
Brad Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Lexus)
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Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, a company that specializes in facial recognition and detecting fake fake images, told Fox News Digital that scams like this one involving Pitt’s likeness “are becoming more common.”
“For anyone interacting with these scam accounts, be aware that scammers often give reasons why they have to hide their relationships. They’re faking health issues or being stranded somewhere, these are all red flags. But the biggest red flag is the question for any money.”
“These types of scams are rampant and the deepfakes that are created using artificial intelligence are getting better and better,” Rob Rosenburg, who runs the consultancy Telluride Legal Strategies, told Fox News Digital. “Unless you travel in celebrity circles, you should be wary of any communication that comes from a celebrity. It’s more likely to be a scam than authentic.”
Brad Pitt’s representative condemned the fraudsters’ actions. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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