An artificial intelligence-created scam involving a fake Brad Pitt has caused a significant stir in France.
A French interior designer known as Anna lost €830,000 after being convinced she was communicating with the Hollywood actor, who allegedly needed money for cancer treatment.
The story of 53-year-old Anna was featured on the French television show Sept à Huit on the first French channel, where she recounted how she was deceived by individuals posing as Brad Pitt. They used fake social media accounts and AI-generated imagery to execute a complex and heartbreaking scam.
During the program, Anna explained how she received a message from someone pretending to be Jane Etto Pitt, the actor’s mother, who claimed that she was the woman her son needed.
Shortly after, she began receiving messages from someone who, at that time, she did not know was a fake Brad Pitt created by AI. At the time, Anna was going through a divorce with a millionaire entrepreneur, and for a year, her new "boyfriend" sent her love declarations and even proposed marriage.
"At first, I told myself it was a scam, that it was ridiculous," Anna explained on Sept à Huit. "But I wasn't used to social media and didn't understand what was happening to me."
"Few men write to you like that," she told French media. "I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to communicate with women and was very well-built."
Once a trusting connection was established, requests for money followed, while the scammers began sending Anna luxury items as gifts. She was told that she had to pay the customs fee herself, which was rumored to be €9,000 for one handbag.
When Anna’s daughter warned her that she was being scammed, Anna replied, "You'll see, when he comes in person, then you will apologize."
Eventually, AI-generated photos were sent showing Brad Pitt in a hospital with kidney cancer. Anna was told that the actor needed money for surgery due to his kidney cancer and that he could not pay for treatment because his ex-wife Angelina Jolie had frozen his bank accounts.
Despite her doubts, Anna was reassured by the "doctor" of the fake star, who wrote her a letter explaining that Pitt was fighting for his life. It was then that Anna transferred about €800,000 to an account in Turkey.
She said, "It cost me money, but I thought maybe I would save a person’s life."
Only when the Hollywood star was photographed in the press last summer with his current partner Ines de Ramon did Anna realize she had fallen victim to a scam.
"I ask myself why they chose me to cause such harm," she said in an interview with TF1. "I have never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell."
After the episode of Sept à Huit aired on Sunday, January 12, Anna's story went viral. However, instead of receiving sympathy for her bravery in speaking out or initiating a discussion on how to regulate artificial intelligence to prevent such scams, the primary reaction was a wave of cyberbullying directed at her.
She faced mockery and ridicule on social media, as well as in a satirical sketch on one of France's largest radio shows. The French top division football team Toulouse mocked her on X: "Hi Anna, Brad told us he would be at the stadium on Wednesday. What about you? We’ve included a link to buy a ticket. See you on Wednesday."
Many social media users rightfully found this post outrageous, prompting the football team to delete it and issue an apology: "We understand that our tweet may have been misinterpreted, and we sincerely apologize. We deeply regret if our comments caused a negative reaction. Thank you for your feedback on this mistake. We promise to be more attentive and discerning in the future."
Netflix also joined in the ridicule. Netflix France began promoting "four movies to watch with Brad Pitt for free (honestly)."
Given the attention, TF1 journalist Harry Rozelmak wrote on X that this story "led to a wave of harassment against the witness," resulting in the channel removing the program from its platforms and streaming services.
The police are now investigating the scam that left Anna nearly broke and hospitalized with depression.