Anne, a 53-year-old interior designer from France, recently shared her shocking experience of falling victim to an elaborate scam involving a fake Hollywood celebrity. During an emotional interview on TF1’s “Sept à huit”, she revealed how she was tricked into believing she was in a romantic relationship with Brad Pitt, leading to the loss of over €850,000 (approximately Rs 7.5 crore).
French Woman Romances Brad Pitt
In February 2023, Anne was on a ski trip in Tignes when she received an unexpected message from an Instagram account claiming to belong to Jane Etta Pitt, Brad Pitt’s mother. Shortly after, someone posing as Brad Pitt himself contacted her.
A french woman was scammed out of over $800K by someone pretending to be Brad Pitt
• Scammer DM’d her on Instagram and convinced her with AI-generated videos and edited images
• She divorced her husband thinking they would get together
• Scammer convinced her his bank… pic.twitter.com/VWD3RtvIO3
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) January 14, 2025
The impersonator used poetic declarations of love and AI-generated videos to establish a deep connection with Anne. Though they never spoke on the phone, the scammer’s persistent messages and affectionate words convinced her that the relationship was genuine.
Fake Brad Pitt
Anne was going through a divorce from her millionaire husband when the scam began. The fake Brad Pitt capitalized on her emotional vulnerability, sending her romantic poetry and messages that strengthened her belief in the relationship.
The scam took a darker turn when the impersonator claimed to have sent her luxurious gifts from high-end brands like Chanel and Hermès. To receive these gifts, Anne was told she needed to pay customs fees amounting to €9,000. Trusting the man she believed was Brad Pitt, she complied.
Fake Brad Pitt: A Scam
The fraudster didn’t stop there. He fabricated a story about needing money for kidney cancer treatment and claimed his accounts were frozen due to a divorce from Angelina Jolie. To add credibility, he sent Anne AI-generated photos of Brad Pitt supposedly lying in a hospital bed.
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Anne continued to send money, unaware she was being deceived. By the time she realized the truth, she had lost a staggering €850,000.
The Moment of Realization
Anne’s suspicions were finally confirmed when she saw genuine photos of Brad Pitt with his new partner, Ines de Ramon. It was then she understood that she had been duped by a skilled scammer who exploited her emotions and trust.
This isn’t the first case of scammers impersonating Brad Pitt. In September 2022, five individuals were arrested for defrauding two Spanish women of €325,000. Using WhatsApp and a fan page dedicated to Brad Pitt, the group posed as the actor to lure their victims into parting with large sums of money.
After coming forward with her story on national television, Anne became the target of cyberbullying. Despite the backlash, she chose to share her experience to raise awareness about the dangers of online scams and to prevent others from falling victim to similar schemes.
