A 53-year-old woman named Anne fell victim to a sophisticated romance scam, believing she was in a relationship with Hollywood actor, Brad Pitt.
The scam cost her 830,000 euros ($851,355), which she thought was helping fund cancer treatment for the actor.
It was gathered that the scam began in February 2023 after Anne posted photos of a ski trip to Tignes on Instagram.
She was contacted by someone claiming to be Pitt’s mother, followed by messages from an account pretending to be the actor himself.
These messages, filled with poetry and sweet words, came during a difficult time in Anne’s marriage with her millionaire husband, making her vulnerable to the deception.
Anne described the scammer’s messages as heartfelt and convincing, noting their ability to connect emotionally.
“There are so few men who write you this kind of thing. I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done,” she said.
She said that despite initial doubts, AI-generated photos and videos helped build a false sense of trust.
The fake ‘Brad Pitt’ proposed and promised extravagant gifts but claimed customs fees needed to be paid to deliver them. This ruse alone cost Anne 9,000 euros ($9,231).
When Anne revealed she was expecting a large divorce settlement from her millionaire husband, the scammer escalated their demands.
They claimed Pitt was in urgent need of kidney cancer treatment but couldn’t access funds due to his divorce from actress Angelina Jolie.
AI-generated images of ‘ Brad Pitt’ in a hospital bed were sent to Anne, making the story more believable.
Anne grew suspicious when the scammer refused phone calls and when she saw news of Brad Pitt dating Ines de Ramon.
Eventually after losing nearly one million euros over the course of the relationship, she realized she had been deceived and reported the case to the authorities.
Anne has since been hospitalized for severe depression, and an investigation is underway.
Nearly two years after the scam began, it’s unclear whether she has recovered any of the money she lost.
KanyiDaily recalls that Angelina Jolie recently filed a complaint that claims Brad Pitt has paid no “meaningful” child support since they announced their intention to divorce nearly two years ago.