Brad Pitt’s team responds to the scam of a French woman
Brad Pitt’s representatives have responded to reports that a French woman was scammed out of more than $800,000 by someone posing as an Oscar winner online.
A spokesperson for the ‘Fight Club’ star said: ‘It’s terrible that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder not to respond to unwanted online communication, especially from actors who don’t have a social media presence.’ Friday in a statement to The Times.
The woman, identified as an interior designer named Anne, told French media that scammers led her to believe she was involved in the Oscar-winning film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood for a year and a half and convinced her to lend her money. He has money to help pay for medical expenses, and BBC I mentioned. The interview was broadcast in prime time Sunday on French television channel TF1, but the clip has since been removed from the news outlet’s website after an onslaught of ridicule.
“I was just manipulated, I admit it, and that’s why I came forward, because I’m not the only one,” she said on a popular French YouTube show, per the BBC.
Anne, who said she was new to social media, said she first downloaded Instagram in February 2023. The scammers contacted her immediately, initially pretending to be Pete’s mother, Jane Etta, and then the star the next day. She said she was told that Pete had kidney cancer, was financially strapped due to his recent divorce agreement and needed help paying bills. The scammers also sent her several AI-generated photos of Pete looking like he was in a hospital bed, which she complied with.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it was ridiculous,” she told TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
They tricked the woman, a cancer survivor, into sending Pitt her alleged life savings, including a divorce settlement from her marriage to a wealthy businessman.
Anne said that almost every time she doubted Pitt’s authenticity, scammers would send her something to dispel her doubts, and at one point, the AI created a fake news report about their relationship before the actor went public with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, in June 2024. Confirming Pitt’s relationship And De Ramone is ultimately what led Anne to end her romance with the person she thought was Pete. Shortly afterwards, she was contacted by scammers posing as “FBI Special Agent John Smith”, prompting her to call the police. The BBC reported that the investigation is now underway.
Anne told TF1 she has attempted suicide three times since the scam came to light, the BBC reported, and now lives in a small room with a friend surrounded by what she left stored in a few boxes.
Her viral story and AI-generated photos of Pete took on a life of their own online, eventually prompting TF1 to pull the clip.
“The story that was broadcast on Sunday led to a wave of harassment against the witness,” the news magazine program “Sept à Huit” said. He said Tuesday on X. “In order to protect victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms.”
Meanwhile, this is the second time in recent months that Pitt’s team has issued a statement regarding scams involving the actor’s celebrities.
Spanish authorities announced in September that five people had been arrested during an investigation into a “criminal organization” that defrauded two women of $350,000 after they posed online as actresses and promised the women potential romantic relationships. the people I mentioned. His representatives issued a similar statement at the time reminding fans “not to respond to unwanted online communication, especially from actors who do not have a social media presence.”