French woman falls for faux Brad Pitt, loses $850K, gets cyberbullied

For a year and a half, Anne, a 53-year-old interior decorator, believed she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt. According to the “Seven to Eight” show on the French TV network TF1, scammers behind the AI mockery stole nearly a million dollars.

The scam, which is still being investigated in France, started in February 2023 when Anne joined Instagram. She was first contacted by someone claiming to be Pitt’s mother, saying her son needed a woman like Annie. The fraudsters contacted her again several days later, posing as Pitt.

For over a year and a half, Anne believed she was communicating with Pitt, who used fake social media accounts and AI-generated imagery to keep up the ruse. According to AFP, the woman has mental health issues.

At some point, the fake Pitt told Anne that his bank accounts were frozen due to the divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie. Then he asked for help by transferring 9,000 euros ($9,268).

The requests quickly ramped up when AI-Pitt needed money for kidney cancer treatment, BBC cites TF1. The fraudsters generated AI photos of Pitt lying in a hospital bed.

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

“Like a fool, I paid... Every time I doubted him, he managed to dissipate my doubts.”

Anne realized she was scammed last summer when she saw pictures of the real Pitt and his partner Inés de Ramon.

After she revealed her experience, following the broadcast of the primetime show on leading French broadcaster TF1, the woman faced cyberbullying. The show sparked mocking comments and jokes, even from reputable organizations.

France24 reports that Toulouse Football Club tweeted: “Brad told us that he would be at the stadium on Wednesday” for the team's next match. Later, the club withdrew the message and apologized.

Netflix France’s social media post is still online and promotes “four films to see with Brad Pitt (really) for free.” It has 1.5 million views.

According to TF1, Anne had severe depression and had been hospitalized for treatment. The network later decided to withdraw the segment following the wave of harassment.

The real Pitt’s spokesperson shared a comment slamming scammers, the Independent reports.

“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities,” the comment reads. “This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”