Brad Pitt’s representative has spoken out after a French woman was swindled of €830,000 ($855,000) by a con artist claiming to be the Hollywood star. In a statement obtained by E! News, the representative called the situation “awful” and cautioned fans.
“It’s terrible that thieves exploit the tight relationship between admirers and stars,” the press release stated. “This is a stark reminder not to respond to unsolicited online solicitations, especially by actors who do not have a social media account.”
How The Scam Was Uncovered
The documentary, broadcast on the French news show Seven to Eight on the TF1 channel, was about Anne, a 53-year-old interior designer. Anne disclosed that she had thought she was in an online romance with Brad Pitt for more than a year.
Anne stated that the relationship started in February 2023, when she received a message from someone who said they were Pitt’s mother. The messages continued from an account that presented itself as Pitt.
He even went so far as to open fake social media accounts, sending WhatsApp messages with AI-generated images of Pitt and even creating a fake copy of his passport. At one point, the impersonator said he needed financial help for cancer treatment, claiming his accounts were frozen because he was going through an ongoing divorce with Angelina Jolie.
Anne, believing the pleas were genuine, transferred hundreds of thousands of euros to cover the supposed medical expenses. She later realized she had been duped upon seeing a photograph of Pitt with his real-life partner, Inés de Ramón, earlier this summer.
Viral Backlash
The show disclosed that Anne had filed a police complaint regarding the scam, but the episode’s airing over the weekend quickly attracted ridicule online. Many social media users mocked Anne’s gullibility, and TF1 pulled the episode off its replay services on Tuesday. TF1 also reported that Anne had been battling severe mental health challenges, including depression, and was hospitalized for treatment following the incident.
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