Brad Pitt responds to French woman scammed by his AI likeness

Brad Pitt has issued a statement after a French woman was scammed out of €830,000 from fraudsters pretending to be the Hollywood A-lister.

The French woman, known as Anne, revealed on the French TV show Sept à Huit on TF1 that she had been conned of the majority of her savings for what she believed was to pay for the actor's “cancer treatment.” 

The 53-year-old interior designer was dupped by a scammer who sent messages and AI-generated photos of Brad Pitt. After striking a “relationship” with her and asking her to marry him, AI-generated photos were sent showing Brad Pitt in hospital with kidney cancer. He needed money for treatment, with the excuse being that Pitt’s real-life ex-wife Angelina Jolie had frozen his bank accounts.  

Despite Anne’s doubts, she was reassured by the fake star’s “doctor”, who emailed her explaining Pitt was fighting to survive. It was then that Anne transferred around €800,000 to an account in Turkey.  

She said: “It cost me to do it, but I thought that I might be saving a man’s life.”

It wasn't until summer 2024 that the realization dawned on Anne that the person behind the account was not Pitt after she saw pictures of the film star with his new girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, online.

"I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this" she told TF1. "I've never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell." 

Now, Pitt's representatives have responded to the situation, which has gone viral in France and has led to shameful cyberbullying.

"It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities," said a spokesperson for Pitt. “This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who have are not present on social networks.”

The response from Pitt's team is the same as that made at the end of September 2024, when similar scam affected two Spanish women who were fans of the actor. Five people were arrested at the time, and the swindle amounted to €340,000.

Police are currently investigating the scam, which left Anne in hospital with depression. She has taken to social media to criticise the edit of the TF1 show, and reports state that she has been hospitalized.

It remains unclear if Anne has managed to recover some of the funds. Meanwhile, TF1 pulled the Sept à Huit episode from circulation to prevent further cyberbullying.

As for the real Pitt, he and Angelina Jolie reached a divorce settlement at the end of last year.

Additional sources • TF1, Entertainment Weekly