A scammer impersonating Brad Pitt deceived a 53-year-old woman named Anne into sending over $850,000. Claiming to be undergoing costly cancer treatment, the scammer used AI-generated images of Pitt in a hospital to gain Anne’s trust. The fake Pitt even proposed marriage, leading Anne to divorce her husband and transfer the large sum of money.
The ordeal began when another scammer, pretending to be Brad Pitt’s mother, contacted Anne and spoke highly of her. Shortly after, the impersonator reached out, claiming his “mother” couldn’t stop talking about her. Initially skeptical, Anne, unfamiliar with social media, gradually believed the ruse. Admitting she liked the person she was talking to, as he “knew how to talk to women.”
Despite her doubts, Anne fell deeper into the scam when the impersonator avoided phone calls but sent fake AI-generated images. The fake Pitt claimed he was divorcing Angelina Jolie and couldn’t access his $400 million fortune. When Anne revealed she was expecting a large divorce settlement, the scammer ramped up the scheme, asking for funds to cover supposed kidney cancer treatment. Anne ultimately sent more than $850,000 before realizing the truth upon seeing photos of the real Brad Pitt with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
Devastated, Anne fell into severe depression, leading to hospitalization. “Why did they choose me to harm like this?” she lamented. “These people deserve hell. We must find these crooks.”
In response, Brad Pitt’s representative issued a statement on September 25, 2024, warning against scammers posing as the actor. “It’s terrible that scammers exploit fans’ connections with celebrities,” the statement read. “This serves as a reminder not to engage with unsolicited online messages, especially from actors without social media presence.”
