PARIS, France – An unsuspecting French woman fell victim to an elaborate scam, losing over $800,000 to impostors claiming to be actor Brad Pitt.
The con unraveled through a series of online communications, leaving her financially devastated after she believed she was assisting the Hollywood star with supposed medical expenses.
The woman, using the pseudonym Anne, reportedly shared her story with French television, detailing how she was initially contacted by someone pretending to be Pitt’s mother.
The communication began with a flattering message portraying her as the ideal match for Pitt, despite her initial doubts.
Despite her skepticism, Anne continued to engage with the scammer, who eventually began posing as Pitt himself. She expressed her unfamiliarity with social media as a factor in her misjudgment, admitting she was unprepared for the deceit she encountered.
The ruse escalated when Anne was persuaded to transfer close to €10,000 initially, under the pretense of covering customs fees for gifts purportedly sent by the “actor.” Astonishingly, she ended up transferring nearly all of her recent divorce settlement of €775,000, equivalent to about $798,000, when the fraudster fabricated a story about Pitt suffering from kidney cancer and needing financial help due to frozen bank accounts amid a contentious divorce.
Further complicating the deception, Anne was shown AI-manipulated images depicting Pitt in hospital settings, bolstering the urgency and authenticity of his imagined plight. Despite emerging reports of Pitt’s real-life romance with Ines De Ramon, the scammers conveniently dismissed these as false, prolonging Anne’s misbelief.
Ultimately, Anne realized the extent of the scam through her independent research on the actor’s relationship status, leading her to accept the harsh reality. She has since approached law enforcement, initiating a legal proceeding to delve into the fraud.
The emotional and financial aftermath forced the TV station to retract the interview amid a torrent of ridicule and harassment directed at Anne online. This response highlights the crucial need for awareness concerning online scams and the vulnerability they exploit in unsuspecting individuals.
