The woman fell into a trap: a fake romance with Brad Pitt for a million
18 january 2025 в 13:37
A woman was deceived into believing she was in an online romance with Brad Pitt, and convinced to pay him nearly 1 million dollars. In an interview on the French TV channel TF1, which aired in January 2025, a 53-year-old woman, who only identified herself as Anne, described the year-long ordeal when she believed that the star of the movie «Fight Club» had established a connection with her. Now, as Brad has reacted to the fraud story, fans want to know the answer to one question: how did the deception happen, and were the photos of Brad created using artificial intelligence?
Below, Hollywood Life breaks down everything we know so far about the fraud.
During the interview on TF1 in January 2025 on the program Sept à huit, Anne recalled that the deception began in September 2023, according to Deadline. At that time, she received a message on Instagram from someone claiming to be Brad’s mother. The scammer, pretending to be Brad’s mother, connected Anne with who she believed was Brad, using fake social media accounts.
«At first, I thought it was fake, that it was funny», - Anne explained to TF1, as reported by BFM TV. «But I’m not used to social media, and I didn’t quite understand what was happening to me».
According to reports, Anne spent over a year corresponding with the scammers. At one point during their exchange, the scammers convinced her that Brad’s bank accounts had been frozen by his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, and that the actor needed a kidney cancer removal surgery. Anne transferred $ 850,000 to the scammers. At the time, she was going through a divorce.
Anne’s story quickly went viral worldwide, and later she told Le Figaro about her only regret: «The only thing we will remember is that 'Anne fell in love with a fake Brad Pitt'», - she emphasized. «Now, to start, I have never cheated on my husband in my life, because I am a caring woman, I am not crazy or clingy, as some people say or write on social media. … I just wanted to help someone, and yes, I was deceived. That’s why I came forward, because I am not the only one in this situation».
According to multiple sources, yes — the woman who was deceived was sent images with Brad’s face created by artificial intelligence, which were edited onto other men lying in hospital beds wearing medical gowns.
Ultimately, Anne realized she was being deceived when she read that Brad was in a relationship with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon.
In response to Anne’s interview on TF1, a representative for Brad released a statement to several sources, saying: «It's awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities. This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social media»
Below, Hollywood Life breaks down everything we know so far about the fraud.
During the interview on TF1 in January 2025 on the program Sept à huit, Anne recalled that the deception began in September 2023, according to Deadline. At that time, she received a message on Instagram from someone claiming to be Brad’s mother. The scammer, pretending to be Brad’s mother, connected Anne with who she believed was Brad, using fake social media accounts.
«At first, I thought it was fake, that it was funny», - Anne explained to TF1, as reported by BFM TV. «But I’m not used to social media, and I didn’t quite understand what was happening to me».
According to reports, Anne spent over a year corresponding with the scammers. At one point during their exchange, the scammers convinced her that Brad’s bank accounts had been frozen by his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, and that the actor needed a kidney cancer removal surgery. Anne transferred $ 850,000 to the scammers. At the time, she was going through a divorce.
Anne’s story quickly went viral worldwide, and later she told Le Figaro about her only regret: «The only thing we will remember is that 'Anne fell in love with a fake Brad Pitt'», - she emphasized. «Now, to start, I have never cheated on my husband in my life, because I am a caring woman, I am not crazy or clingy, as some people say or write on social media. … I just wanted to help someone, and yes, I was deceived. That’s why I came forward, because I am not the only one in this situation».
According to multiple sources, yes — the woman who was deceived was sent images with Brad’s face created by artificial intelligence, which were edited onto other men lying in hospital beds wearing medical gowns.
Ultimately, Anne realized she was being deceived when she read that Brad was in a relationship with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon.
In response to Anne’s interview on TF1, a representative for Brad released a statement to several sources, saying: «It's awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities. This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social media»
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
