Anne, a 53-year-old French interior designer, fell victim to a scam in which fraudsters, using artificial intelligence, impersonated actor Brad Pitt. The scammers convinced her that she was in a romantic relationship with a fake Brad Pitt, who supposedly needed money for cancer treatment. As a result, Anne lost $850,000 (approximately 88 million rubles).
The scam began in February 2023 when Anne received a message on social media from someone claiming to be Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta. The message suggested that her son was looking for a suitable partner. Initially skeptical, Anne eventually trusted the scammers, who manipulated her emotions with their tactics. “At first, I thought it was a joke, but I don’t know much about social media and didn’t understand what was going on,” she said.
The fake Brad Pitt then began messaging her directly, even sending AI-generated selfies. Anne became so involved in the virtual relationship that she eventually divorced her husband. The scammers later fabricated a story about the actor being hospitalized with kidney cancer and claimed his bank accounts were frozen due to a legal dispute with his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie. They asked Anne to send money for his treatment, and she transferred a large sum to an account in Turkey after receiving an email from the fake actor’s “doctor.”
The scam continued for over a year until Anne saw real photos of Brad Pitt with his partner, Ines de Ramon, in the summer of 2024. Realizing she had been scammed, she shared her story on French television. “I ask myself why they chose me to cause such harm. I’ve never hurt anyone,” Anne said.
After her interview aired, Anne faced ridicule and online harassment. TF1 even removed the broadcast to protect her. “The story sparked a wave of mockery. To protect the victim, we decided to take down the episode from the platform,” said show host Harry Roselmak on his blog.
Brad Pitt responded to the incident, urging caution when dealing with messages from celebrities, especially those who don’t manage their own social media accounts. “This serves as a reminder to be careful and not respond to such messages,” said a representative for Pitt. A McAfee global survey revealed that one in four people worldwide has encountered AI-related scams.
In September 2024, Spanish police arrested five scammers who had tricked two Spanish women out of 325,000 euros by impersonating Brad Pitt. At the end of 2024, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce after a prolonged legal battle.
