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Brad Pitt breaks silence over $850,000 scam
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Brad Pitt's perfect response to woman scammed out of $850,000 by 'fake Brad Pitt'

The Frenchwoman believed she was in an online relationship with the A-lister

Faye James
Senior Editor
January 16, 2025
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Brad Pitt's representative has issued a statement in the wake of a scammer conning a French woman out of $850,000 under the guise of being the Hollywood star.

"It's awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities," the statement to E! News read, urging people to be safe online in the new era of AI.

"This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks."

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Anne was contacted just after joining Instagram by an account claiming to be the actor's mother, who told her that her "son" needed a kidney transplant and was in need of financial assistance.

Why would Brad Pitt, A-lister and millionaire, need money transferred to him, you ask? The scammer claimed he couldn't access his accounts due to his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie.

Shortly after, a fake Brad contacted Anne and thus began a year-long online relationship, which the French woman believed would go the distance. 

Brad Pitt at 92nd Annual Academy Awards, Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA - 09 Feb 2020© David Fisher/Shutterstock
The veteran actor's representative issued a statement warning against online scams

The fake Brad would send AI and deepfake images of the actor in a hospital bed to add to his credibility and claim that he was undergoing cancer treatment, for which he needed financial assistance. 

She even left her wealthy husband for what she thought was the Bullet Train actor until she saw images of the real Brad out and about with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.

The Oscar winner's representative has now issued a statement warning against scammers and urging people to be safe online in the new era of AI.

Brad Pitt and girlfriend Ines de Ramon attend the premiere of the film "Wolfs" at the 81st Venice International Film Festival© picture alliance, Getty
The victim realised it was a scam after seeing pictures of Brad with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon

The father of six does not have any official social media accounts. 

Anne has since received backlash online after people saw the AI pictures that the scammer provided to her; however, she has hit back in interviews, explaining how she was so easily duped. 

"I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?" she said on the French TV show Sept à huit. "I've never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell." 

Anne was sent AI images of the actor in a hospital bed© NurPhoto
Anne was sent AI images of the actor in a hospital bed

"As someone who isn't very used to social media, I didn't really know what was happening to me," she continued. 

"Like a fool, I paid. Every time I doubted him, he managed to dissipate my doubts." 

"I looked those photos up on the internet but couldn't find them, so I thought that meant he had taken those selfies just for me," she said.

Johnny Depp attends the "Che Tempo Che Fa" TV show at Nove Studios on October 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy© Stefania D'Alessandro, Getty
Johnny Depp also issued a warning against accounts pretending to be him online

Anne's story points to a wider trend of people falling for AI and deepfake scams as they become harder to differentiate from reality. 

In January, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp wrote a lengthy post warning fans of scam accounts and reiterating the importance of online safety. 

"Sadly, it has been brought to my attention that online scammers are intensifying their efforts to target my fans and supporters," he wrote in the Instagram post.

The Frenchwoman sadly lost her life savings to the scammer© Variety
The Frenchwoman sadly lost her life savings to the scammer

"As part of their tactics, they create multiple deceptive social media and email accounts impersonating me and members of my team."

He continued: "Today, AI can create the illusion of my face and voice. Scammers may look and sound just like the real me. But, neither I, nor my team, will ask you for money or your personal information. We are actively working to combat these illicit schemes."

Since the incident, Anne has lost her life savings and reportedly experienced a mental health crisis. 

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