A 53-year-old French woman named Anne has fallen victim to a sophisticated online scam after she was duped into believing she was in a romantic relationship with Hollywood star Brad Pitt. The case has shocked France and is the latest incident in a series of “Fake Brad Pitt” cons that have targeted women across Europe.
Anne, an interior designer, revealed to French broadcaster TF1 that her ordeal began in September 2023 when she received a message on Instagram from someone claiming to be Jane Etta Pitt, the actor’s mother.
The fraudster posing as Pitt’s “mother” flattered Anne, telling her, “It is a woman like you that my son needs.”
The very next day, Anne was contacted by another account, this time claiming to be Brad Pitt himself.
“Hello Anne, my mother told me a lot about you. I would like to know more,” the scammer wrote.
Initially suspicious, Anne soon found herself caught in a web of deception. “At first, I thought it was fake, but I could not understand what was happening to me,” she recalled.
Over time, the scammer sent her poems, songs, and AI-generated photos resembling the Hollywood actor, gradually winning her trust. At the time, Anne was struggling with personal challenges, including a failing relationship with a wealthy entrepreneur 19 years her senior.
The scammer preyed on her vulnerabilities, crafting a seemingly perfect relationship. “He knew how to talk to women. It was always very well done,” she said. The fraudster’s demands began subtly, asking Anne to cover customs fees for luxury gifts he claimed to have bought her. This led to her first payment of €9,000 (£7,580).
The con escalated when the scammer, still impersonating Pitt, claimed he was suffering from kidney cancer. He said his ex-wife Angelina Jolie had frozen his bank accounts, leaving him unable to access his fortune.
To make the story more convincing, Anne received fabricated photos of “Brad Pitt” in a hospital bed, hooked up to IV machines.
Believing she was helping the ailing actor, she transferred a staggering €830,000 (£697,000) to cover his alleged medical expenses. Anne only began to suspect the truth after seeing photos in the media of Brad Pitt with his real-life girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
Heartbroken and humiliated, she approached French police in the summer of 2024, prompting an investigation into the scam. The ordeal has taken a severe toll on Anne’s mental health. BFMTV reports that she is currently hospitalized in a clinic, suffering from severe depression.
