Fake Brad Pitt “deserves hell” after scamming woman out of $850k

A French woman has confessed to losing $850,000 to a scammer impersonating Brad Pitt, believing she was not only in a relationship with the star, but also paying for his cancer treatment.

The scam began in February 2023, when the 53-year-old – named only as Anne by TF1 – was contacted by someone posing as Pitt’s mother after she posted photos from her ski trip.

The next day, ‘Pitt’ messaged her himself. She was suspicious… at first, but he eventually convinced her that he was real, offering her comfort and promising lavish gifts as she went through a difficult divorce.

The plot thickened with the scammer’s next reveal: apparently, Pitt had kidney cancer and needed money for the treatment (he claimed his assets were frozen due to divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie). Sadly, this is where it all went wrong for Anne.

Woman explains how she was scammed by fake Brad Pitt

“There are so few men who write you this kind of thing. I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done,” Anne said (via BFMTV).

The scammer used an array of tools to keep up the act: fake social media profiles, WhatsApp accounts, and notably, AI images of Pitt seemingly taken in hospital. In one photo, a PhotoShopped image of Pitt can be seen holding up a card that reads, “Anne, I love you,” and text on another image reads, “I love you so much my wife.”

Anne agreed to marry Pitt, and then came two big financial mistakes: Pitt alleged he’d bought Anne gifts from designer brands, but she needed to pay €9,000 ($9,265) for customs charges; and after her split from her husband, she sent Pitt the full amount she received – €775,000 ($797,823).

Anne eventually realized she’d been duped when the real Pitt was spotted in public with his new girlfriend, Ines de Ramon. A police investigation is now underway, and Anne is said to be receiving treatment for depression.

The story has gone viral on social media, prompting a wave of memes mocking Anne. TF1 took it down, with presenter Harry Roselmack tweeting: “The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness.

“For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms.”

In her interview with TF1, Anne stressed that she thought the scam was “ridiculous” at first. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me,” she said.

“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this? I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”