A 53-year-old French woman has fallen victim to a romance scam which has cost her £697,000
This comes after she was tricked into sending a scammer who posed as Brad Pitt the hefty amount under the guise of paying for his cancer treatment.
Ladbible.com explained that it all began in February 2023 after the victim, Anne, received a message from someone on Facebook claiming to be Brad Pitt’s mother.
The following day, Anne received another message from an account, this time posing as Brad Pitt himself under the guise of wanting to know the Interior Designer on a personal level.
In an interview with French channel TF1 (via BFM TV), Anne said she entertained the idea that she may have been in contact with the actual Hollywood star because her chat with the scammer seemed believable.
She confessed that at certain times, the thought of dealing with an impersonator dawned on her, but her desire to get someone to confide in kept her going.
“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,” she said via translated text.
“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.
Lies by fake Brad Pitt
The supposed amorous affair between the fake Brad Pitt and Anne got intense as the scammer proposed to Anne and claimed he needed money for urgent medical treatment.
The fake celebrity convinced Anne that funding his cancer treatment had proven challenging due to his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie, which reached a settlement in December 2024.
Anne, who was head over heels for her Hollywood ‘lover,’ also believed it as numerous AI-generated pictures of the actor in the hospital holding up cards with personalised messages were sent to her.
After months of constant contact, Anne agreed to marry the person behind the account after she divorced her husband and received €775,000 (£652,310).
The 53-year-old sent the alimony from her divorce to the fake account, hoping to receive luxury gifts in return, such as bags from Chanel and Hermès, as promised.
Anne became suspicious that she may have been duped after she saw the actual Brad Pit with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
She then filed a complaint in 2024, prompting an investigation into the scam.
Initial warning from Brad Pitt’s team
A representative of the actor discussed fraudulent incidents involving people under investigation for allegedly defrauding two women out of $350,000 (£290,000) online.
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, and this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” they said via PEOPLE last year.