A French woman was scammed out of $850,000 by someone posing as Brad Pitt using AI-generated images
The victim, a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne, shared her story on a French TV show. She said someone posing as Pitt’s mom reached out to her first, claiming her son needed someone like her. “We’re talking about Brad Pitt here, and I was stunned,” Anne recalled. At first, she thought it was a joke, but she soon got caught up in it.
Over 18 months, Anne received messages filled with love poems and even a marriage proposal. “There are few men who write to you like that,” she said. She was going through a divorce from her much older husband, which made her more vulnerable.
The scammer, using the AI bot, promised to send her expensive gifts but insisted she pay the customs fees, starting at around $9,200. He claimed he was on his deathbed and needed money for treatment, saying Angelina Jolie had frozen his accounts.
Anne sent tons of money to a Turkish account, believing she was helping the actor. She only realized she was being scammed when she saw Pitt with his new girlfriend. Despite her daughter warning her, Anne held on to the hope that it was real.
After sharing her story, she faced cyberbullying, and the network pulled her interview. She’s been hospitalized for severe depression, questioning why she was targeted. “These people deserve hell,” she said, reflecting on the pain caused by the scammers.
