PUBLISHED
January 14, 2025
In one of the weird and heartbreaking scams we’ve heard of, a 53-year-old French girl believed she was concerned in a whirlwind romance with none aside from Brad Pitt.
FAUROUX, Virginie
All of it started when she obtained a Fb message in February 2023, supposedly from the Hollywood star’s mom. Little did she know, this seemingly harmless interplay would flip into an elaborate scheme that left her emotionally and financially devastated.
The scammer, who posed as Pitt, began speaking completely via textual content messages. Conveniently, this ‘Brad Pitt’ was at all times too busy for telephone calls however generously despatched AI-generated movies of the actor to string her alongside. At first, Anne, the sufferer, had her doubts, however over time, the flirtations grew to become too convincing to disregard.
Listed here are the pictures that satisfied Anne she was in a relationship with a cancer-ridden Brad Pitt!
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What adopted was a sequence of more and more ludicrous requests, beginning with a promise of lavish items, however provided that she paid a hefty customs charge of 9,000 euros (£7,566). Anne, already caught up within the romance and caught off guard by the sleek phrases and candy poetry from the “actor,” paid up with out hesitation.
As if issues weren’t unbelievable sufficient, the rip-off escalated when the pretend Pitt proposed to Anne, and within the midst of the supposed engagement, the scammer claimed he wanted cash for pressing medical remedy.
Anne and the ‘William Bradley’ account exchanged messages incessantly, constructing a detailed friendship. TF1
In accordance with the imposter, the actor was present process remedy for kidney most cancers, and since he could not entry his personal funds resulting from a messy divorce from Angelina Jolie, Anne’s assist was wanted. Naturally, Anne, who had simply come right into a divorce settlement value almost $800,000, despatched over the cash, believing she was aiding her new fiancé.
Anne and her millionare ex husband. TF1
However the twists didn’t cease there. The scammer continued to gasoline Anne’s delusions by sending AI-generated photos of Pitt in a hospital mattress, feigning a determined want for monetary help. Sadly for Anne, it wasn’t till she noticed the actual Brad Pitt out together with his new girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, that the reality started to hit her. By then, Anne had despatched over a staggering 830,000 euros (£697,000) to the scammer.
Anne slowly started to grasp what had occurred and confronted the account! TF1/Dailymail
The extent of the betrayal was overwhelming. Anne, now realizing she had been duped, filed a grievance in 2024, prompting an investigation into the rip-off.
Anne spoke out about how she was conned to TF1
Tragically, the emotional toll of the deception has left her hospitalized for extreme despair. In the meantime, the authorities are nonetheless on the hunt for the scammer who preyed on her vulnerabilities.
Curiously, this isn’t the primary time that Brad Pitt’s identify has been used for malicious achieve. In September 2024, 5 people have been arrested in Spain for extorting over $330,000 from two girls by posing because the actor.
As tragic as this story is, the web has been each sympathetic and snarky in its reactions. Sarah Bee, a commenter on X, summed it up completely: “Romance scams are the cruellest.” Others had a bit extra of a tongue-in-cheek response, questioning why Anne didn’t simply Google Brad Pitt’s present state of affairs earlier than sending a lot cash, or joking that folks ought to hold monitor of their older relations’ actions to keep away from them making a gift of their inheritance to a pretend Brad Pitt.
The web can not imagine the girl bought scammed with such horribly edited photos. X
One consumer, Jay Kennedy, chimed in, sharing how his stepmother continues to ship cash to a “cellist,” regardless of repeated warnings. “It’s unhappy how lonely and misplaced older individuals get. To the place they’re so delusional and do that.”