Paris: A case of online fraud has come to light, where a French woman was scammed of 800,000 euros after being convinced she was in a relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
The woman fell victim to the scam, which was carried out through Instagram messages, a web of fake accounts and deceptive tactics.
How the scam began
The 53-year-old woman, identified as Anne, was on a ski trip to Tignes when she first received a message from an account pretending to be Jane Etta Pitt, the actor’s mother. Just a day later, another message arrived, this time from an account pretending to be Brad Pitt himself. The impersonator convinced Anne that they were in touch and began what seemed like a sincere friendship.
During their online conversations, Anne was led to believe that she was talking to the famous actor. She received loving messages, poems and declarations of love. Anne, who had been married to a millionaire but was experiencing a difficult time in her personal life, was captivated by the charm of the messages. “There are so few men who write such things. I liked the man I was talking to, and he knew how to talk to women,” Anne said during an interview on the French show “Sept a huit”.
The scam unfolds
As their conversations deepened, the fraudster began sending Anne videos and photos generated by AI, convincing her that it was Brad Pitt speaking to her. Despite never answering her calls, the scammer continued to maintain the illusion of a real connection, even proposing marriage to her. The scam took a more financial turn when the impostor told Anne that he had sent her luxury gifts but asked her to pay 9,000 euros to receive them. However, Anne never received anything in return.
Soon after, Anne’s divorce was finalized and she received a compensation payout of 775,000 euros. At this point, the fraudster escalated the scam by sending her doctored videos and photos claiming he needed kidney surgery and was already admitted to a hospital. The fake Brad Pitt even asked Anne for financial assistance to help with medical costs, further deepening the trap.
The scam remained undetected till 2024 when Anne saw reports about Brad Pitt’s relationship with jewellery designer Ines De Ramon in the news. This made her suspicious, and she eventually realized that she had been duped, as reported by BFMTV. Struggling with severe depression, Anne was hospitalized for treatment after the truth came to light.
Similar case in Spain
This isn’t the first time that a person has fallen victim to a scam involving someone posing as Brad Pitt. In September 2024, Spanish police arrested five people accused of scamming two women out of 325,000 euros.
The suspects posed as Brad Pitt through online messages on a fan page and convinced the women that they were in a romantic relationship with the actor. The fraudsters then tricked the victims into investing in fake projects that did not exist.
How these scams work
Scammers often use fake social media accounts to pose as celebrities or public figures, creating elaborate stories to gain the victim’s trust. They build an emotional connection through messages, phone calls or video chats.
As trust grows, they exploit the victim’s feelings by asking for money, sometimes under the pretence of needing help with medical bills or personal emergencies. These scams can be incredibly difficult to spot, especially when the scammer uses technology like AI-generated content to seem more convincing.
