AI scammers posing as Brad Pitt scammer out of $850,000

A happily ever after with a woman supposed to be Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt quickly turned into a living nightmare.

On January 12, the French television channel TF1 broadcast an episode of its show “Sept à Huit”, which told the story of a 53-year-old interior designer, Anne, who revealed that she had lost 830,000 euros ( approximately $850,000) in personal funds because she thought she was sending money to a Pitt man who had cancer.

Thanks to falsified documents and images as well as artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was speaking, and ultimately being in a relationship with, the 61-year-old actor.

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A woman was tricked into believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt after being contacted by someone claiming to be the actor on Instagram. (Stéphane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Contacted in February 2023 on Instagram by a person presenting themselves as Pitt's mother, Jane Etta Pitt, aged 85, Anne reportedly received a message saying: “It's a woman like you that my son needs”, according to BFM TV and The Dimanche Times.

“At first, I told myself that it was false, that it was ridiculous,” Anne said, according to AFP. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.” Despite her skepticism, Anne continued the conversation before receiving a message from the alleged Pitt.

“My mother told me a lot about you,” the scammer wrote.

Anne was first drawn into the scheme by someone posing as Brad Pitt's mother, Jane. Jane and her son are seen here at the 2012 Academy Awards. (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)

Anne was bombarded with countless romantic messages and poetry as well as doctored photographs. The operation was multifaceted, with others posing as Pitt's manager and his daughter, Shiloh, whom he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, to help with the scam. After a contentious eight-year legal battle, Pitt and Jolie finalized their divorce agreement in 2024 after being legally declared “single” in 2019.

“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is their multi-layered approach,” Marva Bailer, AI expert and founder and CEO of Qualaix, told Fox News Digital. “Scammers build trust over time, often posing as a family member, staff member or even someone close to the celebrity who claims to help the celebrity by managing their charitable efforts. This indirect approach makes the scam more believable, because it's not the celebrity directly asking for help, it's someone who is positioned to be more approachable or “realistic.” too proud or too private to ask for help herself, which makes the situation more authentic.”

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finalized their divorce agreement in 2024. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

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Anne was troubled by her lack of visual communication with the actor, prompting the scammer to send her an AI-curated video. Money was introduced into the conversation when Anne was told she would have to pay more than €9,000 in customs duties to be able to accept luxury gifts from the person posing as Pitt.

Recently divorced, Anne let the scammer know that she had received a hefty divorce settlement of 775,000 euros. After this admission, the Pitt impersonator told Anne that he was suffering from kidney cancer and was struggling to pay for his treatments due to his ongoing divorce proceedings from Jolie. Anne sent most of her divorce settlement to the fake Pitt.

Throughout the treatment, the alleged Pitt sent Anne a series of doctored photos depicting his stay at the hospital where he was being treated. In one photo, Pitt is lying in a hospital bed, holding a card that says: “Anne, I love you.”

Falsified photos of Brad Pitt were sent to Anne. An AI-generated video of Pitt was also sent. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

New to social media, Anne had lingering doubts and repeatedly blocked the scammer's number, only to finally succumb to her feelings and resume communication. After initially reading a report that Pitt was involved with businesswoman Inés de Ramon, she was sent a fake television report to alleviate her qualms, which clarified that the couple were not together.

When photos of the couple were published over the summer, Anne realized it was all a scam and decided to take legal action. The story was eventually removed by TF1 as it began to receive extreme ridicule. The channel released a statement saying it had chosen to remove the story from its platforms after the initial broadcast “triggered a wave of harassment” against the victim.

Brad Pitt and his girlfriend, Inés de Ramon, are pictured together at the British F1 Grand Prix. (Kym Illman/Getty Images)

A rep for Pitt told E! News on January 15 that the situation involving Anne was “horrible.”

“It's horrible that scammers are taking advantage of the close connections fans have with celebrities,” the spokesperson said, “but it's an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online communications, especially from actors who have no presence on social networks.

Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms. The actor's rep did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Bailer echoed these sentiments, sharing that with the ease of access to celebrity images, people are at risk: “By having access to a celebrity's public persona and online presence, they can create fake social media accounts or sending very convincing emails or messages that appear to come directly from the celebrity or their team. Fans, wanting to be part of something that seems exclusive, can easily be lured into it. mistake in thinking they are committing to someone who they trust.

Brad Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Lexus)

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Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, a company specializing in facial recognition and deepfake detection, told Fox News Digital that scams like this one involving Pitt's image “are becoming more and more common.”

“For anyone who interacts with these fraudulent accounts, be aware that scammers often give reasons why they need to hide their relationships. They fake medical issues or are stuck somewhere, these are all red flags. But the most big red flag is asking for any kind of money.”

“These types of scams are commonplace, and deepfakes made through the use of artificial intelligence keep getting better and better,” Rob Rosenburg, who runs consultancy Telluride Legal Strategies, told Fox News Digital . “Unless you travel in celebrity circles, you should treat any communication from a celebrity with caution. It is more likely a scam than genuine.”

A representative for Brad Pitt condemned the actions of the scammers. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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