Anne is a woman in her forties who was leading a quiet life until a certain Brad Pitt contacted her on Instagram. For a year and a half, she thought she was in a real relationship with the actor, who turned out to be a scam who stole over €800,000 from her.
For several weeks now, Anne’s story has been causing a buzz on social networks since the release of a report on TF1. It’s a story about a scam that sounds like a warning against modern-day illusions. A story that is both tragic and funny, and one that deserves to be told for its many lessons.
The Story
It all begins in February 2023. Anne is on a skiing holiday in France with her husband and daughter. For the first time in her life, she signs up on social networks to share her holiday photos. She was contacted by a woman called ‘Jane Etta Pitt’, Brad Pitt’s ‘mother’. The next day, she received another message, this time from the Hollywood actor. ‘I was stunned. At first, I thought it was fake, that it was all nonsense, but as I’m not used to social networks, I don’t really understand what’s happening to me’.
A friendly and then romantic relationship begins. As the weeks go by, the messages become increasingly intimate. The messages came at just the right time, as Anne was going through a difficult period with her husband, a billionaire 19 years older than her. Their relationship has been on the rocks for 2 years. A flaw that the swindler didn’t hesitate to exploit. ‘I had someone opposite me who was interested in me and my work, because my own husband wasn’t even interested in my work. I was on my own’.
Brad Pitt pulled out all the stops. He sent Anne love poems, which she translated using an app, since they spoke English. Anne is spellbound, especially as Brad Pitt sends her proof that it’s really him, such as his passport. Other characters come into play, such as Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt’s business partner, and even Shiloh, his daughter. But Anne still has her doubts, as the fake Brad Pitt always finds excuses not to call her: endless meetings or a shoot that’s running over. Finally, he promised to come to France and sent her this video message to reassure her.
It’s a Deep Fake, a video based on artificial intelligence where you can make anyone say anything. Anne took the bait. That’s when the financial scam began.
The scam begins
One morning, Brad Pitt tells Anne that he has bought her luxury gifts such as Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Chanel’s bag. Then he asks Anne to pay customs duty on the parcel. He asks her for $5,180. Anne refused. ‘And then he tells me that his accounts are frozen because of the lawsuit he has against Angelina Jolie, that he has millions of dollars, but he can’t touch them’.
In the end, Anna paid €9,000 for her gifts, which she never saw, supposedly because they were held up due to an overload. At the same time, Anne is divorcing her husband and receiving €775,000 in compensation. It all ended up in the swindler’s pocket. Most of the money was used to treat the actor for kidney cancer. ‘He sends me photos. It’s Brad Pitt in a hospital bed. I don’t think these photos are fake, I even looked for them on the internet and couldn’t find them, so I thought he must have taken these selfies for me’.
Then another character enters the scene, Dr Hatem from Minnesota’s Mayo Hospital. The clinic is real, and the doctor seems real. It was he who warned her that Brad Pitt needed a new kidney transplant as soon as possible. Anne started paying for dialysis every 3 days, paying $600 each time. ‘It costs me to do it, but I tell myself that I might be saving a man’s life’.
Brad asked Anne to advance the medical costs. He would pay her back later, he told her. 60,000 for a bowel cleanse, €93,000 for a kidney transplant, €115,000 for a second transplant because the first didn’t work. She was asked to pay into an account in Turkey, but Anne didn’t think twice about it, especially as the swindler threatened her with suicide if she didn’t pay.
Several weeks later, while leafing through the celebrity press, Anne begins to open her eyes. After 8 months of scamming, the real Brad Pitt was showing off everywhere with his new partner Inès de Ramon. ‘So I say to him, listen, you’ve got to be honest with me, you’ve got to stop telling me you love me if you’re in a relationship with another woman’.
Jealous, Anne lost her temper and sent some very violent messages to Brad Pitt. Later, the crooks try to reassure her with this fake newsflash produced by the AI.
This reassures her a little until the real Brad Pitt makes his relationship with Inès de Ramon official. That’s when Anne realises the scam.
Today, Anne lives with one of her friends in La Réunion. She has had to sell her house and furniture and has only €40,000 left in savings. Now ruined, Anne has attempted suicide three times.
From scam to cyberstalking
Anne’s story may have ended on a sour note, but it was also a crucial stage in her life. Although hurt by the betrayal, Anne chose to share her experience publicly to raise awareness of the dangers of online dating. But as soon as the report came out, a wave of mockery flooded social networks.
TF1 decided to delete the report for good: ‘The report broadcast on Sunday sparked a wave of harassment against a witness. For the protection of the victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms’, the programme wrote on X.
It has filed a complaint and worked with the authorities to track down the impostor. According to Anne’s lawyer, there are 3 people aged between 20 and 27 behind the fake Brad Pitt who are based in Nigeria, a West African country with a notorious reputation for Internet scams.
Brad Pitt’s reaction ?
Anne’s misfortune has reached the actor’s ears. In a statement sent to the American website Entertainment Weekly, a spokesperson said: ‘It’s terrible that scammers take advantage of the great affection that fans have for certain celebrities. But this is a necessary warning to remind people not to follow up unsolicited contacts on social networks. Particularly when they come from celebrities who are not active on them.’
A story that matters
Anne’s story highlights an increasingly common scam: ‘catfishing’ or identity theft. In an increasingly connected world, it’s vital to be vigilant. This is just one of many stories to show that scammers are becoming increasingly imaginative and cunning, especially with AI. A story like that of Maeva, who was also almost scammed, to listen to in this podcast.
