French Woman Says AI Brad Pitt Scammed Her Out of $850K – Hollywood Reporter
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Brad Pitt attends the UK Premiere of Paramount Pictures' "Babylon" at BFI IMAX Waterloo on January 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterThe scammers used fake, AI-generated photos of the megastar actor that led the French woman to believe she was communicating with the real Brad Pitt.
By
McKinley Franklin
A French woman says she was scammed out of her life savings by an AI Brad Pitt.
The 53-year-old woman, named Anne, has revealed that she was scammed out of $850,000 after believing she was in a long-term relationship with the real Hollywood star, per Men’s Journal. The scam began when she was contacted by a scammer claiming to be Pitt’s mother, Jane, who “told me that her son needed someone like me” and her communication lasted more than a year.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne explained on a Sunday episode of Seven to Eight on French TV channel TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
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Using AI technology to emulate the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor, the scammers sent personalized photos and messages to the woman, leading her to believe the hoax. They later coerced her into sending nearly $1 million for a kidney treatment. They pretended that Pitt was unable to access his bank accounts due to his high-profile divorce from Angelina Jolie. A French woman reportedly divorced her millionaire husband then was scammed out of $850k by a fake Brad Pitt. The scammer used AI-generated photos and claimed he was undergoing cancer treatment and couldn’t access his money due to his divorce. She realized the truth upon seeing… pic.twitter.com/cG5KFa6ojr
The woman, who TF1 says struggles with mental health problems, left her husband because of the scam before realizing she’d been conned after seeing news reports about Pitt’s real-life girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?” she said. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”
The report says Anne filed a police report over the scam.
Since the Sunday segment aired, the story has gone viral, igniting a plethora of cyberbullying toward the victim. In the wake of the scrutiny, TF1 journalist Harry Roselmack took to X to announce that the story “has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness,” leading the network to withdraw the broadcast from its platforms, reported The Guardian.Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSend us a tip using our anonymous form.
