A 53-year-old French interior designer, Anne, was swindled out of €830,000 ($850,000) in a romance scam involving someone posing as Brad Pitt. The scam, which lasted months, used AI-generated images and fabricated stories to manipulate Anne. She received messages from fake accounts of Pitt and his supposed mother, leading to a false online relationship,
Despite avoiding phone or video calls, Anne was drawn in by convincing photos and videos, including one of “Pitt” in a hospital bed. The scammer promised marriage, gifts, and fabricated financial struggles. The scam began in February 2023 after Anne posted vacation photos on Instagram.