Brad Pitt
Daniele Venturelli/WireImageA French woman has reportedly transferred more than $800,000 to scammers after being tricked into believing she was dating Brad Pitt.
Believing Brad, 61, needed money to pay for kidney treatment, the 53-year-old, known as Anne, allegedly told French TV outlet TF1 about her ordeal. (The original interview was removed on Tuesday, January 14, due to the online harassment Anne received, but French media reported Agence France-Presse and BFM TV The scam, as well as subsequent cyberbullying, was reported.)
according to BFM TVInterior designer Anne was recently interviewed on TF1 Seven to eightShe explained that she was contacted in February 2023 by someone claiming to be Brad's mother. Jane Pete. Anne was on a ski trip in Tignes, France, and posted photos from the trip on Instagram when her so-called Jane called her.
The outlet reported that Ann discovered the next day that Jen's account was “apparently linked to the actor,” and that scammers posing as Brad told Anne that “his mother talked…a lot about her.”
Brad Pitt's actor has set the record straight about actors' social media presence after Spanish police arrested five people for allegedly impersonating Pitt online. “It is terrible that scammers take advantage of the strong relationship between fans and celebrities,” Matthew Hiltzik, Pete's publicist, told Us Weekly in a statement on Wednesday, September 25. “This is important (…)
The relationship soon developed, and Anne, who was allegedly married at the time, was reported to have received “numerous poems and advertisements”. Anne reportedly told TF1: “There are very few men who write you that kind of thing. I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, and he always did it very well.”
AI-generated videos, fake social media and WhatsApp accounts have been used by scammers to continue the ruse, and alleged examples of these efforts have been published across X and included in BFM TVa report.
according to BFM TVAnne allegedly told TF1: “At first I said to myself it's fake, it's ridiculous. But I'm not used to social media and I didn't really understand what was happening to me.”
As Anne's confidence grew, she then sent nearly €10,000 to the scammers after telling her that customs tariffs required payment to enable gifts to be sent to her.
Anne allegedly informed the criminals that she was divorcing her husband and followed up her initial transfer with another transfer totaling just under €775,000 – almost the entirety of her divorce settlement.
The second transfer allegedly occurred as a result of Anne being told that Pete had kidney cancer and needed financial assistance due to his accounts being closed during ongoing divorce proceedings with Pete's ex-husband. Angelina Jolie It happened.
UK newspaper The times It was reported that TF1 removed the original news article to protect Anne from the “wave of harassment” she received online after her story went public.
Ex battle. Brad Pitt filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in February 2022, alleging that she illegally sold her shares in Miraval, a French company that includes a chateau and vineyard that the former couple bought together in the south of France. The stars of Mr. and Mrs. Smith first gained control of (…)
Anne allegedly filed a lawsuit and a police investigation has been launched, according to multiple outlets.
This isn't the first time Brad has been criminally impersonated online. Publicity for the actor Matthew Hiltzik He said Us Weekly In a statement dated September 25, 2024, he said: “It is appalling that scammers would exploit fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” after… The Spanish police arrested him Five people allegedly playing Brad.
The September ordeal saw two women conned out of at least $350,000.
