A French woman named Anne has shared a tragic update after falling victim to a scam involving a fake Brad Pitt, according to recent news reports. She was deceived out of a staggering $850,000, believing it was for Pitt’s ‘cancer treatment’.
An Instagram account initially contacted Anne in February 2023, pretending to be the actor’s mother, as reported by BFM TV. This was followed by messages from someone claiming to be Pitt himself.
Anne expressed her disbelief to TF1, saying: “In fact, we’re talking about Brad Pitt, I’m falling from the clouds. At first, I tell myself it’s fake, but I don’t really understand what’s happening to me. After that, we will contact each other every day and we become friends.
“There are so few men who write you this kind of thing. I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done.”
Anne and the scammer developed a relationship, and the fake Pitt eventually proposed, leading Anne to believe the connection was genuine.
The impersonator claimed financial distress due to Pitt’s alleged ‘cancer treatment’ costs, supposedly exacerbated by his divorce from Angelina Jolie, convincing Anne to send money.
To further deceive Anne, the scammer used AI-generated images of ‘Pitt’ in a hospital, including one with a sign saying ‘Anne, I love you’.
Anne realized the truth in the summer of 2024 upon seeing photographs of Pitt with his new partner, Ines de Ramon, and understood she had been duped.
Anne’s lawyer, Laurène Hanna, confirmed that efforts are underway to recover the money. Anne has been left without a home because of the scam.
“Love scams on the internet are not new,” Hanna stated. “Anne is really not the only one. What my client needs is to be given some sensible advice and to be treated with dignity.”
The incident garnered widespread attention, prompting Pitt’s representatives to release a statement.
They told The Independent: “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities.
“This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”