Woman scammed out of 830,000 euros by fake Brad Pitt

A French woman was scammed out of 830,000 euros by con artists posing as Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.

The victim, a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne, was led to believe she was in a romantic relationship with the star, who allegedly required funds for cancer treatment.

Anne recounted her harrowing experience on the French television show Sept à Huit on TF1. She described how she was initially contacted by someone claiming to be Jane Etta Pitt, the actor’s mother, who insisted that she was the perfect match for her son. Following this, Anne began receiving messages from what she later discovered was an AI-generated impersonation of Brad Pitt.

At the time, she was navigating a difficult divorce from a millionaire entrepreneur. Over the course of a year, the “actor” professed his love for her and even proposed marriage.

“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne explained during her appearance on the show. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

She further remarked, “There are few men who write to you like that. I loved the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women and it was very well put together.”

As trust was built, the scam escalated, with the impersonator sending Anne luxury gifts. However, she was told that she was responsible for paying customs fees, including a staggering 9,000 euros for a handbag.

Despite her daughter’s warnings about the possibility of being scammed, Anne remained convinced. “You’ll see when he’s here in person then you’ll say sorry,” she told her daughter.

Eventually, Anne received fake medical photos of Pitt, purportedly suffering from kidney cancer and in need of urgent financial assistance. The ruse claimed that his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, had frozen his bank accounts.

Reassured by a supposed “doctor” of the star, who communicated through email that Pitt was fighting for his life, Anne transferred approximately 800,000 euros to an account in Turkey.

“It cost me to do it, but I thought that I might be saving a man’s life,” she said.

It was not until the actor was seen publicly with his current partner, Ines de Ramon, last summer that Anne realized she had been duped by an elaborate scam.

“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this,” she lamented. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”

Since the airing of her story on January 12, Anne’s ordeal has gained widespread attention. However, rather than receiving support for her bravery in sharing her experience, she has faced cyberbullying online.

One particularly distasteful reaction came from the football team Toulouse FC, which mocked her situation on social media. They posted, “Hi Anne, Brad told us he’d be at the Stadium on Wednesday for #TFCLAVAL. What about you? We've included the link to buy your ticket. See you on Wednesday.”

After public backlash, the team deleted the post and issued an apology, stating, “We understand that our tweet may have been misinterpreted, and we sincerely apologize. We deeply regret if our comments conveyed a negative message. Thank you for your feedback on this error. We promise to be even more careful and discerning in the future.”

The police are currently investigating the con that has left Anne nearly bankrupt and struggling with depression.