Cyber fraud deception: Frenchwoman loses fortune in fake Brad Pitt scam
The 53-year-old Anne, who donated £697,000 for the treatment of the supposedly seriously ill Brad Pitt, has given a new statement to the French broadcaster TF1. The report clearly explained the process of defrauding the woman of a significant sum of money. Meanwhile, the actor's spokesperson addressed the theft of his client's image.
Artificial intelligence, which undoubtedly assists us in many daily situations, also brings with it a number of threats. The French interior decorator has experienced this harsh reality. Anne, due to her gullibility, became the subject of international media attention. The woman was convinced she was corresponding with Brad Pitt himself, who supposedly started exchanging messages with her nearly two years ago on Instagram.
The contact was supposedly initiated by the actor's mother, Jane Etta Pitt, whose fake profile was created by a group of online fraudsters. The impersonator effectively persuaded the 53-year-old to financially support her son, who, according to her version, needed funds for kidney cancer treatment. This was made convincing with AI-generated photographs of the actor in a hospital bed and love declarations supposedly sent by him. Throughout almost 18 months of correspondence, Anne divorced her husband. Blinded by her feelings for the star, she transferred £697,000 to what she believed was his account, money she obtained after a division of property.
The deceived Frenchwoman revealed her story to millions
The situation became clear to Anne when just over six months ago, media circulated photos of Brad Pitt with his new partner, Ines de Ramon. In an interview with TF1, she hesitantly admitted to not verifying the information presented to her and acted under the influence of fascination with the tender words and confessions sent to her from what turned out to be a fake account.
I was in love with the man I was chatting to. He knew how to speak to a woman. I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this? I've never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell - she confessed on camera, admitting at the same time to having fallen into severe depression.
Anne, alongside a group of journalists working on her case, sought help from Marwan Ouarab, the owner of the website Find My Scammer, which has for years been helping to track down cybercriminals. Together with his collaborators, he discovered that a group of a few young Nigerians was behind the scam. The funds paid by the 53-year-old were used to top up their cryptocurrency wallets.
It wasn't an easy task. I had to engage my entire team. We sent them a bait link hidden in a message. By clicking on it, they unknowingly gave us access to their phones - said Ouarab in a conversation with the French publication "20 Minutes," explaining how they discovered the perpetrators' identities.
The case was then handed over to the local police. As a result of the investigation, it was found that the method of extorting money for the supposedly seriously ill Brad Pitt worked on 33 other people. Similarly, the image of other Hollywood stars, including Keanu Reeves, was shamelessly exploited.
Brad Pitt's spokesperson commented on the media commotion
The star's press office issued a statement in connection with the scandal publicised at the beginning of the year. His representatives did not hide their outrage at the situation.
It's awful that scammers take advantage of fans' strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence - read a statement sent to global media editors.
Brad Pitt's spokesperson also appealed for people to check the credibility of famous people's profiles on social media, including utilising the blue tick visible next to the username that confirms their identity.
