World
January 15, 2025 15:28
france - Brad Pitt's spokesperson warns fans of scammers after a French woman, Anne, lost 860,000 euros to an impostor pretending to be the American actor.
Brad Pitt's spokesperson has warned fans of scammers following the remarkable story of French woman, Anne, who lost 860,000 euros to someone posing as the Hollywood actor. Anne believed she was in a romantic relationship with the man.
"It is terrible that scammers take advantage of the strong connection fans have with celebrities," said a statement to 'Entertainment Weekly'. "Let this be an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited approaches on social media, especially from actors who do not have their own accounts."
Anne, a 53-year-old interior designer, decided to create an Instagram account in 2023 to share holiday photos on the platform. She was approached by someone claiming to be Jane Etta Pitt, 'the mother of'. Jane Etta told Anne that her son needed a woman like her in his life. Shortly after, Anne received a message from 'Brad Pitt'.
The scammer managed to manipulate Anne entirely. The French woman had been questioning her two-year relationship with her millionaire husband as she felt neglected. Eventually, she left him for the 'movie star'.
'Brad' bought Anne expensive gifts, but in order to get them through customs, Anne had to pay over 9,000 euros. She used the money she had received from her divorce from her ex-partner for this. Initially, Anne had doubts, but the photos and an AI-generated video sent by the fake Brad Pitt reassured her.
The fake Brad Pitt also claimed to urgently need treatment for kidney cancer. His accounts were supposedly frozen due to his divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie. Anne, not wanting to lose her great love, paid out hundreds of thousands of euros multiple times because 'the operation initially failed'. It was only when Anne saw the real Brad Pitt in photos, accompanied by his actual girlfriend Inès de Ramon, that she began to realize it was all untrue.
Anne has filed a complaint, lost many of her friends, and after several suicide attempts, was admitted to a clinic specializing in severe depression.
The report about Anne has since been taken offline by broadcaster TF1 as many internet users mocked her. "'Sept à huit' is a news program that neutrally addresses societal issues. The report broadcast this Sunday led to a wave of harassment against a witness. To protect the victims, we have decided to remove it from our platforms," a statement in response to the incident read.
This is not the first time that women have been scammed by 'Brad Pitt'. In 2024, five people were arrested by Spanish police for defrauding women by pretending to be the American actor. In 2022, a Spanish woman lost 170,000 euros to a fake Brad Pitt.