Brad Pitt has slammed an AI-assisted scammer impersonating him after a French woman was conned out of €830,000 (£700,000).
The 53-year-old woman was convinced they were in love and the actor needed money for cancer treatment after around a year-and-a-half of exchanges.
The victim gave an interview on French television explaining how she had thought they were in a relationship after the AI fake courted her with declarations of love and a proposal to marry.
Reacting to the con after the story hit the headlines this week, Pitt’s spokesperson said: “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities.
“This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”
Police in France are investigating the scheme, as the woman’s fake ‘lover’ was actually a digital plot by scammers designed to get her to hand over money.
Initially she handed over money to pay for the customs bills for luxury handbags the fake Pitt promised her. Later the fraudsters would claim the actor was hospitalised with kidney cancer and needed money for treatment..
The victim was sent faked images showing Pitt in a hospital bed, and although her daughter did warn her she was being scammed initially the woman insisted the ‘relationship’ was real.
However, the jig was finally up when the woman saw in the summer of 2024 when the real Pitt was seen with his current partner Inès de Ramon.
Explaining why she had fallen for the scam, she told French broadcaster TF1: “There are few men who write to you like that. I loved the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women and it was very well put together.
“We’re talking about Brad Pitt here and I was stunned,” she said. “At first, I thought it was fake, but I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
