Jan 17, 2025
Jan 17, 2025
A 53-year-old French woman, Anne, sent over €830,000 euros (£697,000) after being duped into thinking she was dating Brad Pitt through social media. The AI scammer convinced her the funds were needed to fund the star's cancer treatment. Anne regularly received AI generated photos and videos of the actor from his hospital bed, with images including Pitt apparently unconscious while undergoing surgery.
Anne, who was going through a difficult divorce with her millionaire husband at the time, claimed the relationship began in February 2023 after posting photos of a luxury ski trip. A woman posing as Brad Pitt's mother struck up conversation with her through Instagram soon after the images were published. An account profile posing as Brad Pitt messaged her 24 hours later, saying he had heard stories of her from his mother.
Anne admitted she had suspicions after 'Brad' got in contact, suspecting his profile to be fake. However, after exchanging messages every day, her worries were slowly calmed, with the two striking up a touching relationship. The fraudster posing as Brad Pitt with his AI images, wooed her with poems, and promises of lavish gifts and a shoulder to cry on. She felt overwhelmed with the offerings, with the only alarm bells being when images of Pitt began appearing in the press with a new girlfriend - that was not Anne.
She contacted the French police and they soon launched an investigation.
Speaking with TF1 about her ordeal, she tearfully recalled being scammed out of thousands of euros over the course of the fake relationship. An emotional rollercoaster saw fake Brad quickly propose to Anne as the two communicated through texts and photos. Images of Pitt photoshopped in a hospital bed were sent to the victim, with a number of shots from the star's 'hospital room' accompanied by messages including 'I love you so much my wife'.
Anne is now hospitalised with severe depression after this scam.
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