Famous Actor Accused of ₹7.37 Crore Scam While in Hospital, Divorce Battle Underway

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A 53-year-old French woman, Anne, fell victim to a sophisticated online scam in which she was led to believe she was in a romantic relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. The scam began in February 2023 when Anne, an interior designer received a message on Instagram from someone posing as Pitt’s mother followed by communication from the scammer pretending to be the actor himself. Over time, Anne became convinced that she was speaking with Pitt through heartfelt messages and AI-generated videos despite never having a phone conversation with him.

SEE THE AI-GENERATED IMAGES OF BRAD PITT

As their online relationship progressed, the fake Pitt proposed marriage to Anne prompting her to divorce her wealthy husband. Following the divorce, the scammer manipulated her into sending money for supposed customs fees for gifts from luxury brands which escalated to demands for funds for "kidney cancer treatment." The imposter claimed his financial accounts were frozen due to his ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie. Anne, believing she was helping her fiancé sent substantial sums losing a total of 830,000 euros in the process.

Anne’s realization came only when she saw real photos of Brad Pitt with his new partner, Ines de Ramon. By that time, the damage had been done and she had fallen into a deep depression requiring hospitalization. This case highlights the alarming rise of scams involving celebrity impersonations with previous similar incidents involving Brad Pitt as the target.