Anne, a French woman in her fifties, was the victim of a sophisticated scam. For several months, she believed she was having a virtual relationship with Brad Pitt. In the end, she “lost everything.”
Deepfake and fake identities
In February 2023, Anne created an account on Instagram. After her first posts, the mother of the family was quickly contacted by a woman, Jane Etta Pitt, who claimed to be Brad Pitt’s mother. At this point, Anne didn’t know that the person behind the screen was a scammer with the intention of deceiving her. The scammer soon charmed Anne, telling her she was the perfect companion for the American actor. A few hours later, Anne received a message saying, “My mother has told me so much about you.” The fake Brad Pitt contacted Anne, and the scam was set in motion. After receiving several photos generated by artificial intelligence and fake identification documents, Anne was convinced she was truly talking to the American actor.
Soon, the fake Brad Pitt asked Anne for 9,000 euros to cover supposed customs fees to send her expensive gifts. Over time, the scammer extorted more and more money from Anne. He told her that his legal battle with Angelina Jolie had ruined him, that he was suffering from cancer, that his accounts were frozen, and that he needed her financial help for treatment. Ultimately, Anne transferred 775,000 euros to an account in Turkey. The man who “knew how to talk to women,” according to Anne, had ultimately scammed her out of a total of 830,000 euros.
Suicide attempts and cyberbullying
After a year and a half of virtual relationship, Anne finally realized the truth. The real Brad Pitt was indeed in a relationship—but not with her. Seeing images of Brad Pitt with his new partner, Ines de Ramon, opened Anne’s eyes to the deception. She decided to file a complaint. Shocked, Anne fell into a severe depression. She admitted to having made three suicide attempts and being hospitalized in a specialized clinic. Having been swindled out of a total of 830,000 euros, the interior designer had to sell her furniture and home to cope with the financial strain. “Now, I have a storage unit and my things in boxes. That’s my life now. I’ve lost everything,” the woman said.
While sharing her story with journalists from the show Sept à huit, the airing of her report did not have the desired effect. The story of the scam was widely shared on social media, but instead of sparking outrage or raising awareness, many people mocked Anne. Her story quickly became a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter). On Instagram and TikTok, many used fake images of Brad Pitt to create humorous scenes based on the story. Even big brands took advantage of the situation for their own promotions. Toulouse FC, for example, posted on X: “Hello Anne, Brad told us he’d be at the Stadium on Wednesday for #TFCLAVAL. What about you?” Netflix also used the story to promote content: “Four films to watch with Brad Pitt (we promise).” Faced with the backlash, TF1 decided to remove the report from all its platforms.
Brad Pitt’s reaction and the scammer exposed
This bizarre scam was reported by 4,465 media outlets around the world. The story eventually reached Brad Pitt’s ears, and he felt compelled to respond. The real Hollywood star issued a statement through his representatives: “It’s terrible that scammers are taking advantage of the affection fans have for certain celebrities.” He went on to warn against these common practices, advising people not to “respond to unsolicited contacts on social media.” He also reminded everyone that he does not have a profile on such platforms.
After Anne filed a complaint and several public statements were made, the scammer who targeted her was finally unmasked. Marwan Ouarab, the founder of the website Find My Scammer, which regularly helps victims of online fraud, managed to track down the scammer. His research revealed that the person behind the scam was a man from Nigeria. The scammer had also posed as Keanu Reeves, the actor from The Matrix. He was not working alone, though—there appeared to be a whole group of scammers operating. On Brad Pitt’s profile alone, 34 victims have been counted.