Brad Pitt’s happily ever after with a woman considered a Hollywood powerhouse quickly turned into a living nightmare.
On January 12, the French TV channel TF1 aired an episode of the program “Sept à Huit”, telling the story of a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne. She revealed that she lost 830,000 euros (approximately) in 2017. ($850,000).
Through forged documents and images, as well as artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was talking to the 61-year-old actor and eventually developed a relationship with him.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
A woman was tricked into believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt after being contacted by someone claiming to be him on Instagram. (Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
In February 2023, Anne was reportedly contacted on Instagram by someone claiming to be Pitt’s 85-year-old mother, Jane Etta Pitt, who received a message that read: “My son Need a woman like you.
“At first I said to myself, this is fake, this is ridiculous,” Anne said, according to Agence France-Presse. “But I’m not used to social media and I don’t quite understand what’s happening to me.” Although Anne was right about She was skeptical, but continued the conversation until she heard from the so-called Pete.
“My mom told me a lot about you,” the scammer wrote.
Anne was initially drawn into the scheme by someone posing as Brad Pitt’s mother Jane. In 2012, Jane attended the Oscars with her son. (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)
Anne received numerous romantic messages, poems, and altered photographs. The operation was multifaceted, with others posing as Pitt’s agent and Pitt’s daughter Shiloh with ex-wife Angelina Jolie to assist in the scam. After eight years of contentious legal battles, Pitt and Jolie finalized their divorce in 2024 after legally declaring themselves “single” in 2019.
“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is the multi-layered approach they employ,” artificial intelligence expert Marva Bailer, founder and CEO of Qualaix, told Fox Digital News. “Over time, scammers build trust and often Impersonating family members, staff, or even people close to the celebrity, claiming they are helping the celebrity by managing a charity. This indirect approach makes the scam look more credible because it is not the celebrity directly asking for help. , but someone whose positioning is closer or more “realistic”. It plays on the idea that celebrities are too proud or too private to seek help themselves, which makes the situation seem more real.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce in 2024. (Mark Rolston/AFP via Getty Images)
Like what you’re reading? Click here for more entertainment news
Anne was troubled by the lack of visual communication with the actors, prompting the scammers to send her the AI-curated footage. The conversation turned to money when Anne was told she would have to pay more than €9,000 in customs duties to accept a lavish gift from someone pretending to be Pete.
Anne, who had just been divorced, revealed to a scammer that she had received a huge divorce settlement of €775,000. After the admission, Pitt’s impersonator told Anne that he had kidney cancer and was struggling to pay for treatment due to his ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie. Anne sent most of the divorce papers to the fake Pete.
Throughout his treatment, Pitt allegedly sent Anne a series of altered photos depicting him receiving treatment in the hospital. In one photo, Pitt is lying in a hospital bed holding a card that says “Annie, I love you.”
Edited photos of Brad Pitt sent to Anne. An AI-generated video of Pete was also sent. (Axel/Ball Griffin)
As a newbie to social media, Anne had always been suspicious and blocked the scammer’s phone number several times, but finally gave in to her feelings and restored contact. After initially reading reports that Pitt was having an affair with businesswoman Ines de Ramon, she received a false TV report to allay her concerns and clarify that the couple were not together.
When photos of the couple were released over the summer, Anne knew it was all a hoax and decided to take legal action. The story was eventually taken down by TF1 because she began experiencing extreme ridicule. The network issued a statement saying it chose to pull the story from its platform after the initial broadcast “sparked a wave of harassment directed at the victim.”
Brad Pitt was photographed with his girlfriend Inés de Ramon at the British F1 Grand Prix. (Kym Illman/Getty Images)
A rep for Pitt told E! On January 15, news broke that Anne was in “very bad condition.”
“It’s terrible that scammers are taking advantage of fans’ strong connections to celebrities, but it’s an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from sources with no social media presence,” the representative said. actor. ”
Pete does not have any verified social media platforms. A rep for the actor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Byler echoed these sentiments, saying that because celebrity images are so readily available, people face risks: “By understanding a celebrity’s public and online persona, they can create fake social media accounts or send highly persuasive messages. Emails or messages that look like they are coming directly from the celebrity or their team, eager to be part of something that feels unique, can easily be misled into thinking they are interacting with someone they trust.
Brad Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms. (Pascal Le Segretan/Getty Images for Lexus)
Click here to subscribe to the Entertainment Newsletter
Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, a company that specializes in facial recognition and deepfake detection, told Fox News Digital that scams like the ones involving Pitt’s likeness are “becoming more and more common ”.
“For everyone who interacts with these scam accounts, please be aware that scammers often give reasons why they have to hide their relationship. They fake medical issues or are trapped somewhere, and these are all red flags. But the biggest red flag is is asking for any kind of money.
“Scams like these are rampant, and deepfakes created using artificial intelligence are getting better and better,” Rob Rosenburg, who runs consulting firm Telluride Legal Strategies, told Fox News Digital. “Unless you’re in Travel in celebrity circles, otherwise you should be cautious about any communication from a celebrity. It’s more likely to be a scam than genuine.”
Brad Pitt’s rep condemned the scammer’s actions. (Pascal Le Segretan/Getty Images)
Click here to get the Fox News app
