A French woman, identified as Anne, fell victim to an elaborate scam where she was tricked into believing that she was in a relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
In a report by BFM TV, the woman reported that she was scammed of over Euros 800,000 in an elaborate scheme that also caused the breakdown of her marriage.
The 53-year-old said that her ordeal began in February 2023, when she received a Facebook message from someone posing as Pitt’s mother. She claimed that the scammer used AI-generated videos and photos to convince her that he was really the actor and sparked off an online romance with her, maintaining contact only through text messages. The scammer also avoided any phone calls.
Over time, the scammer posing as Pitt, proposed marriage which prompted Anne to divorce her millionaire husband. Soon after, he claimed to have purchased lavish gifts for her but needed more than $9,000 to cover customs fees. Anne provided the money, believing in the scammer’s promises.
After Anne reportedly received nearly $800,000 from her divorce settlement, the scammer posing as Brad, claimed that he needed money for kidney cancer treatment and sent AI-generated photos and videos of “Pitt” in a hospital bed.
According to the report, he claimed that he could not access his own money owing to his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie. This way, he reportedly manipulated Anne into sending him additional funds.
The scam only unravelled when Anne saw media reports of real Brad Pitt with his new girlfriend, Ines de Ramon. On seeing their pictures together, she realised that she had been scammed.
In 2024, Anne filed a police complaint, prompting an investigation. She is currently receiving treatment for severe depression at a clinic, while authorities work to track down the scammer.
Anne is not the only one who has been scammed into shelling out big bucks over this alleged ‘Brad Pitt dating scam‘. Previously reports from Spain claimed that a scam involving fraudsters posing as Brad Pitt led to losses exceeding Rs 3 crore for women. The scammers used social media to build trust and promise romantic relationships. Spanish police had reportedly arrested five individuals, seized various items and recovered part of the stolen funds.
