Happily ever after with who a woman assumed was a Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt quickly turned into a living nightmare.
On January 12, French television channel TF1 aired an episode of the show “Sept à Huit,” which told the story of a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne who revealed that she had lost 830,000 euros (about $850,000) in personal funds because she thought she was sending money to a cancer-stricken Pitt.
Through forged documents and images and through artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was speaking to and ultimately having a relationship with the 61-year-old actor.
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A woman was tricked into believing she was dating Brad Pitt after being contacted on Instagram by someone claiming to be the actor. (Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Reportedly contacted on Instagram in February 2023 by an individual who introduced herself as Pitt’s 85-year-old mother, Jane Etta PittAnne received a message saying, “My son needs a woman like you,” per BFM TV and The Sunday Times.
“At first I told myself it was fake, that it was ridiculous,” Anne said. by AFP. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.” Despite her skepticism, Anne continued the conversation before receiving a message from the alleged Pitt.
“My mother told me a lot about you,” the scammer wrote.
Anne was initially drawn into the scheme by someone posing as Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane. Jane and her son are seen here at the Academy Awards in 2012. (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)
Anne was inundated with countless romantic messages and poetry, as well as fake photos. The operation was multifaceted, with others posing as Pitt’s manager and daughter, Shiloh, whom 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 in 2024 after being declared legally “single” in 2019.
“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is their multi-layered approach,” Marva Bailer, AI expert and founder and CEO of Qualaix, told Fox News Digital. “Scammers build trust over time, often posing as a family member, a staff member or even someone close to the celebrity and claiming that they are helping the celebrity by managing their charitable efforts. This indirect approach makes the scam more believable, because it’s not the celebrity who is directly asking for help, it’s someone who is in a position to be more relatable or ‘realistic’. It plays on the idea that the celebrity is too proud or private to ask for help themselves, making the situation seem more realistic.”
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce settlement in 2024. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Anne was bothered by her lack of visual communication with the actor, prompting the scammer to send her an AI-composed video. Money was introduced into the conversation when Anne was told she would have to pay more than €9,000 in customs duties to accept luxury gifts from the person posing as Pitt.
Anne, recently divorced, told the scammer that she had received a hefty divorce settlement of 775,000 euros. Following this confession, the Pitt impersonator told Anne that he had kidney cancer and was struggling to pay for his treatments due to his ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie. Anne sent most of her divorce settlement to the fake Pitt.
During the treatment, the alleged Pitt sent Anne a series of edited photos depiction of his time in the hospital where he was treated. In one photo, Pitt lies in a hospital bed with a card that reads, “Anne, I love you.”
Fake photos of Brad Pitt were sent to Anne. An AI-generated video of Pitt was also sent. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)
Anne was a social media novice and had persistent doubts and the wherewithal to block the scammer’s number multiple times, eventually succumbing to her feelings and resuming communication. After initially reading a report that Pitt was involved with a businesswoman Ines de Ramonshe was sent a fake TV report to dispel her doubts, making it clear that the couple was not together.
When photos of the couple were released last summer, Anne knew it was all a hoax and decided to take legal action. The story was eventually pulled by TF1 because she began experiencing extreme ridicule. The network released a statement saying they had chosen to pull the story from their platforms after the initial broadcast caused “a wave of harassment” against the victim.
Brad Pitt and his girlfriend, Inés de Ramon, are photographed together at the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain. (Kym Illman/Getty Images)
A Pitt representative said AND! News on January 15 that the situation involving Anne was ‘terrible’.
“It’s terrible that scammers are taking advantage of fans’ strong ties to celebrities,” the rep said, “but this is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who don’t have a social media presence.”
Pitt has no verified social media platforms. The actor’s rep did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Bailer echoed these sentiments, sharing that given the easily accessible images of celebrities, people are at risk: “With access to a celebrity’s public persona and online presence, they can create fake social media accounts or send highly persuasive emails or messages send messages that look like they come straight from the celebrity or their team. Fans who want to be part of something that feels exclusive can easily be misled into thinking they are connecting with someone they trust.”
Brad Pitt has no 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 deepfake detection, told Fox News Digital that scams like this one involving Pitt’s likeness are “becoming more and more common.”
“For anyone dealing with these scam accounts, be aware that the scammers often give reasons why they need to hide their relationships. They pretend to have medical issues or are stranded somewhere, these are all red flags. But the biggest warning sign is asking for any money.”
“These types of scams are widespread and the deepfakes created using artificial intelligence are getting better and better,” Rob Rosenburg, who runs the consulting firm Telluride Legal Strategies, told Fox News Digital. “Unless you travel in celebrity circles, you should treat any communication coming from a celebrity with caution. It is more likely to be a scam than authentic information.”
A representative for Brad Pitt condemned the scammers’ actions. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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