‘AI Brad Pitt’ persuaded woman to divorce husband before getting scammed out of £700k
A French interior designer has lost £700,000 to online scammers who posed as Hollywood actor Brad Pitt by using AI-generated images and social media messages to deceive her.
The 53-year-old woman, identified only as Anne, believed she was in a year-long romantic relationship with the Fight Club star throughout 2023.
She transferred the substantial sum to a Turkish bank account after fraudsters convinced her the actor needed money for medical treatment.
The victim was targeted through Instagram and various messaging platforms in an elaborate scheme that began in February 2023.
Anne was first contacted on Instagram by someone claiming to be Brad Pitt’s mother, who told her “her son needed someone like me,” the victim explained to French television channel TF1.
Days later, another account purporting to be Brad Pitt himself began messaging her.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne told TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
The conversations soon moved to other platforms, including WhatsApp, where the relationship developed over several months.
I leave you with this image. A 53 yo Frenchwoman called Anne was scammed of almost a million dollars by a catfisher pretending to be Brad Pitt. “Brad” sent her poems and promised her undying love — but needed money for an operation because his divorce to Angelina wiped him out. pic.twitter.com/OtmkmmF5eu
— vbspurs (@vbspurs) January 14, 2025
The scammers used AI-generated images showing Brad Pitt in hospital to convince Anne of their authenticity.
They claimed the actor was suffering from kidney cancer and needed money for treatment, telling her his bank accounts were frozen due to divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie.
After receiving an email from someone posing as Pitt’s doctor, Anne agreed to transfer a large sum to a Turkish bank account.
The elaborate deception included multiple fake personas and carefully crafted messages across different platforms to maintain the illusion of a genuine relationship.
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Anne finally discovered the deception when she saw photographs of the real Brad Pitt with his current partner, Ines de Ramon.
“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?” she told TF1. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”
The television interview about her ordeal sparked widespread mockery on social media, forcing TF1 to remove the content from their platforms.
“The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness,” TF1 presenter Harry Roselmack wrote on X.
“For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms,” he added.
Police are investigating the scam, though no arrests have been reported.
French newspaper Sud Ouest revealed Anne was going through divorce proceedings with a millionaire entrepreneur at the time of the fraud.
The victim required hospital treatment for severe depression following the incident.
A spokesman for Brad Pitt told Sky News: “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities.”
The spokesman added it was “an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”