Woman leaves husband and sent £697,000 to scammer after being convinced she was dating Brad Pitt

A woman from France, who has given her name as Anne, has revealed she was one of the latest of many women falling victim to the ‘Fake Brad Pitt Scam’.

The scammer, who convinced her that she was speaking to the Hollywood Actor went on to take almost £700,000 from her. This comes after several cases were reported in Spain in 2024.

Anne had reportedly become convinced that she was communicating with the real Brad Pitt due to AI-generated images and parted with almost £700,000 as part of the scam.

She explained that she fell for the scammer as her relationship with her millionaire husband was in tatters and she was taken in by poems and romantic gestures.

Anne told French channel TF1, that the nightmare began in 2023 when she received an Instagram direct message from an account under the name Jane Etta Pitt – claiming to be Brad Pitt’s mother.

The conversation quickly turned to Brad Pitt and how the two would make a great couple. She was told ‘It’s a woman like you that my son needs’. The following day, Anne was contacted by another account with a message saying ‘Hello Anne, my mother told me a lot about you. I would like to know more’.

At first, Anne was skeptical that it could be a scam but she is understood to have become convinced by speaking to the scammer on a daily basis, despite Pitt not being able to speak to her over the phone, along with receiving AI generated videos and photos.

Anne recalled being ‘flabbergasted’ that she was actually speaking with Brad Pitt by adding:

“At first, I thought it was fake, but I could not understand what was happening to me. After that, we would contact each other everyday and we became friends”.

The scammer would send Anne poems and songs pretending to be the actor.

In the beginning, he purchased designer bags for her but told her that she had to pay for customs which is how Anne lost her first €9,000 (£7,580).

Later in the relationship, the scammer claimed that they (Brad Pitt) required money for cancer treatment as his money and fortune was frozen as a result of his divorce with Angelina Jolie.

Anne received AI generated images of the actor in a hospital bed. It is reported that Anne sent a total of €830,000 (£697,000) to the scammer for the fake treatment. It was not until Anne saw photos of Brad Pitt with his new girlfriend in the media that she began suspecting it was a scam.

BFMTV is now reporting that the victim, Anne, is receiving medical treatment in a clinic due to suffering from depression.

Further reading

Bank fraud and scam claims – Oakwood Solicitors

Staying scam savvy – Oakwood Solicitors

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.