A French woman named Anne fell victim to a sophisticated scam that led her to believe she was in a romantic relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. This elaborate deception began in February 2023, when Anne joined Instagram to share snapshots of her skiing holiday. Unbeknownst to her, a scammer, employing an array of digital tools, including artificial intelligence and fake social media accounts, ensnared her into an emotional and financial ordeal.
The scammer targeted Anne by sending her digitally fabricated images and messages, including what appeared to be selfies, poems, and songs purportedly from Brad Pitt. The deception reached new heights when Anne received an alleged copy of Pitt's passport. As Anne recounted, the messages were personal and engaging:
“I’d like to know more about you,” read one message to Anne. “But I’d like to know whether you work in the media as I’m protective of my private life.”
The scammer convinced Anne that Pitt was in dire need of financial assistance due to his accounts being frozen amid divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie. They claimed he required funds for cancer treatment, and Anne, believing in the authenticity of their relationship, transferred €830,000 (£700,000) to support him. Reflecting on her experience, Anne stated:
“I was in love with the man I was chatting to,” she said. “He knew how to speak to a woman.”
Anne's financial capacity to make such transfers stemmed from her wealthy entrepreneurial husband and a substantial divorce settlement. The scammer skillfully maintained daily communication with Anne by aligning with her interests and even posed as Jane Pitt, Brad Pitt's mother, through a fake social media account.
The scam unravelled when Anne was contacted by police, prompting her to file a complaint. The public exposure of her experience led to widespread online ridicule, resulting in TF1 withdrawing a television program about her story from replay services. Harry Roselmack, a presenter for TF1, explained the decision:
“For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw [the segment] from our platforms.”
Anne expressed her bewilderment at being targeted by such a malicious act:
“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this,” she told TF1. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”