French Woman Loses €830,000 to Scammers Posing as Brad Pitt

The 53-year-old victim was targeted by romance scammers who used AI-generated content to impersonate the Hollywood actor.

Anne, a 53-year-old interior decorator, was deceived into believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt over a year and a half, losing €830,000 in the process.
The scammers initiated contact through Instagram, pretending to be Pitt's mother and later the actor himself, exploiting Anne's emotional vulnerabilities during a difficult period in her marriage.
AI-generated deepfake videos, photos, and fake documents were used to build credibility and maintain the illusion, including fabricated images of Pitt on a hospital bed and messages from his supposed daughter.
The fraud escalated with requests for money under false pretenses, such as covering customs fees for luxury gifts and funding a kidney cancer operation, with payments made to accounts in Turkey.
After realizing the deception in mid-2024, Anne filed a police report but has since faced severe financial and emotional consequences, including homelessness and hospitalization for depression.