A 53-year-old French woman, identified as Anne, has fallen victim to an elaborate romance scam, losing €830,000 ($850,000) to a fraudster posing as Hollywood star Brad Pitt.
Anne, an interior decorator, first encountered the scam in February 2023, when she joined Instagram to share vacation photos. She was soon approached by someone claiming to be Jane Pitt, Brad Pitt’s mother, who convinced her that she would be a perfect match for the actor. Shortly after, a person posing as Brad Pitt reached out, and the two began chatting daily.
Over time, Anne developed deep feelings for the man she believed was the Hollywood star. He sent her personalized poems, love messages, and AI-generated selfies that she could not find elsewhere online, making the deception even more convincing.
The scammer learned about Anne’s divorce and financial settlement and soon claimed to be suffering from serious kidney problems. He convinced her that due to his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie, he could not cover his hospital bills. To make the story more believable, he even sent AI-generated images of himself in a hospital bed.
Anne, believing she was helping the love of her life, desperately wired him over €830,000 ($850,000), including her entire divorce settlement.
Anne finally realized the deception when she saw news reports about Brad Pitt’s relationship with Ines de Ramon. The scam left her devastated and financially ruined, but even worse, she became the subject of ridicule on social media and TV programs for falling for such a scheme.
"I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm," Anne told reporters. "These people deserve hell."
She has since filed a police complaint, but authorities have yet to make significant progress in tracking down the scammers.
