- A French woman named Anne was scammed out of €830,000 by fraudsters posing as Brad Pitt.
- The scam involved requests for money for customs on luxury gifts and kidney cancer treatment.
- Anne’s ordeal ended when she contacted the police after the scammers tried to extract more money under the guise of an FBI agent.
- This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers of online scams and the misuse of AI technology.
In a shocking revelation that has sent ripples across the globe, a French woman named Anne, a 53-year-old interior designer, was scammed out of €830,000 by fraudsters posing as Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. The incident has sparked a wave of online mockery and harassment, leading French broadcaster TF1 to pull a program about her. Anne’s ordeal began in February 2023 when she downloaded Instagram. She was immediately contacted by someone claiming to be Jane Etta, the mother of Brad Pitt, who told Anne that her son needed a woman just like her.
The next day, someone purporting to be Pitt got in touch, which set off alarm bells for Anne. However, being unfamiliar with social media, she didn’t fully comprehend the situation. The fake Pitt claimed he was unable to pay customs on luxury gifts he had sent her as his bank accounts were frozen due to his divorce proceedings with actor Angelina Jolie. This prompted Anne to transfer €9000 to the scammers. Like a fool, I paid… Every time I doubted him, he managed to dissipate my doubts, she said.
The requests for money escalated when the imposter claimed he needed cash for kidney cancer treatment, sending her multiple AI-generated photos of Brad Pitt in a hospital bed. Anne, who is in cancer remission herself, was convinced by these images and believed she was potentially saving a man’s life.
The Aftermath of the Scam
During this time, Anne divorced her husband and received a settlement of €775,000, all of which went to the scammers. Her daughter, now 22, tried to make her mother see reason for over a year, but Anne was too excited and naive to see the truth. When images of the real Brad Pitt with his new girlfriend Ines de Ramon appeared in gossip magazines, Anne became suspicious. However, the scammers sent her a fake news report in which an AI-generated anchor talked about Pitt’s exclusive relationship with one special individual… who goes by the name of Anne. This temporarily comforted Anne, but when Pitt and Ines de Ramon made their relationship official in June 2024, Anne decided to end things.
After the scammers tried to extract more money from her under the guise of Special FBI Agent John Smith, Anne contacted the police. An investigation is now under way. The events left Anne broke, and she has tried to end her life three times. In a YouTube interview, Anne hit back at TF1, saying it had left out details on her repeated doubts over whether she was talking to the real Brad Pitt. She added that anyone could’ve fallen for the scam if they were told words that you never heard from your own husband.
Public Reaction and Lessons Learned
While many online users mocked Anne, several took her side. An op-ed in newspaper Libération said Anne was a whistleblower and warned that the progress of AI technology will only worsen such scenarios. This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of online scams and the misuse of AI technology. It also highlights the need for individuals to be cautious and vigilant when interacting with unknown entities online, especially when it involves celebrities who have no social media presence.
In a similar vein, the world of Hollywood has seen its fair share of high-profile romances and breakups. For instance, Brad Pitt’s divorce from Angelina Jolie was a major event that garnered significant media attention. The couple’s children reportedly chose to drop Pitt from their surname, indicating the family’s division.