A woman who believed she was dating Brad Pitt has lost a substantial amount of cash and her billionaire husband.
Ever since the rise of AI-generated images and videos, people are being cautioned to not fall for fake images. However, not everyone is immune to such photos, leading thousands to fall victim to scammers. A 53-year-old French interior designer, who believed she was e-dating Brad Pitt, is the most recent viral case after she spoke of the incident on a French TV program, Sept à huit. However, the details of the event have many wondering how on Earth she could fall for such a scam.
Women opens up about being scammed over $800K by scammer posing as Brad Pitt
The woman, who goes by the alias Anne, first got in touch with fake Brad Pitt in 2023. After creating an Instagram account to post photos of her skiing trip in the Alps, a woman claiming to be Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta Pitt, sent her a message claiming her son needs a woman like her. Not long after, a man claiming to be Brad Pitt messaged her with eager interest to get to know Anne.
Anne claimed she was skeptical at first; after all, it was Brad Pitt. She thought it was fake, but continued talking to the individual, and they soon became good friends. When she asked for proof of his identity, the scammer sent her images of his passport, messages from others affirming his identity as Brad Pitt, and edited images and videos that were specifically addressed to Anne.
Soon, their friendship turned romantic. The fake Brad Pitt penned her letters and poems that captured her heart. Anne told the show, “I loved the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, and it was always very well put together.” The scammer also showed interest in her career as an interior designer; something her husband did not. This led her to divorce her millionaire husband. She received a settlement of around $800,000.
After the scammer successfully won her heart, they soon swindled her. Fake Pitt proposed to Anne, to which she accepted. He then claimed he had sent her luxury gifts but told Anne she would need to pay $9,200 in customs to receive them. When asked why, he claimed he had no access to his bank accounts due to his ongoing divorce with Angelina Jolie.
The situation escalated when Pitt messaged Anne, claiming he was in the hospital and urgently needed funds to cover his kidney cancer treatment. In love and trusting him wholeheartedly, she initially sent $62,000 to Pitt’s fake account in Turkey. She continued sending him money to cover his supposed hospital bills, ultimately sending around $800,000.
Though there were moments of skepticism, these were immediately shut down with fake emails from a doctor claiming Pitt was in critical condition. When Anne’s daughter brought up the possibility she was being scammed, she defended fake Pitt, stating, “You’ll see when he’s here in person; then you’ll apologize.”
However, she started realizing something was wrong when Anne saw news of the real Brad Pitt and his new girlfriend, Inès de Ramon. However, the imposter sent her a fake news report that stated Pitt was seeing an unnamed “special person.” Soon after, an individual—who could be fake Pitt or not—posed as an FBI agent and informed Anne they could rescue her from this scam if they sent her $5,200. She did.
The scam took a massive toll on Anne. She was forced to sell all her furniture and moved in with a friend. She also filed a legal complaint for fraud and set up an online fundraiser, with the proceeds funding her legal costs. Due to the depression and despair the scam caused her, Anne attempted suicide three times and was later admitted to a specialized depression clinic. When talking about how she felt she realized she was scammed, Anne said, “I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this. I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”
The internet (and Brad Pitt) reacts to French women falling for e-dating scam
When photos used by the scammer were leaked online, the internet immediately turned the situation into a joke. The images appeared poorly edited, with Brad Pitt’s head simply photoshopped onto other people’s bodies. Other photos were simply grabbed on the internet. Any photo involving text was obviously not handwritten and is a font found online.
Many couldn’t believe she fell for such a scam given how fake the photos are. One photo, which allegedly showed Pitt undergoing surgery, was extremely comical since they edited the actor’s sleeping head in to make sure it looked like it was him.
Others wondered why she didn’t search online for articles that proved Pitt had cancer. Still, some defended Anne, pointing out how cruel romance scams are and how she must already be having a difficult time. Amid online ridicule, Sept à huit has pulled out the segment regarding the Brad Pitt e-dating scam.
Brad Pitt himself has reacted to the scam. Through a spokesperson, Pitt commented on how awful it is that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities.” He advised fans “not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”
Published: Jan 16, 2025 04:51 am