Brad Pitt’s members have responded to information about a French woman reportedly being scammed out of more than$ 800, 000 by a man pretending to be the Oscar win online.
” It’s awful that scammers take advantage of supporters ‘ strong relationship with superstars, but this is an important warning to not listen to unsolicited online awareness, especially from actors who have no social media presence”, a spokeswoman for the” Battle Club” sun said Friday in a statement to The Times.
The girl, identified as an interior designer named Anne, told European press that scammers led her to think that she was involved with the” Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” Oscar win for a year and a half and persuaded her to loan him money to help pay for medical bills, the , BBC , reported. Her interview aired in primary time on Sunday on French TV’s TF1, but the sector has since been removed from the media outlet’s web following an invasion of scorn.
” I only got played, I admit it, and that’s why I came forth, because I am not the only one”, she said on a famous French YouTube show, per the BBC.
Anne, who said she was new to social media, said she initially downloaded Instagram in February 2023. The swindlers immediately contacted her, second posing as Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta, then as the sun a day later. She said she was told that Pitt had liver cancer, was financially strapped because of his , new marriage agreement , and needed support paying bills. The scammers also sent her many AI-generated pictures of Pitt appearing to be in a hospital bed, and she complied.
” At earliest I said to myself that it was false, that it’s ridiculous”, she told TF1. ” But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me”.
They duped the girl, a cancer victim, into sending the purported Pitt her life’s benefits, including a marriage arrangement from her marriage to a rich entrepreneur.
Anne said that nearly every time she cast doubt on Pitt’s sincerity, the scammers would give her something to dissolve her doubts, at one stage AI-generating a fake media statement about their relationship ahead of the professional going public with partner Ines de Ramon in June 2024. Pitt and De Ramon’s relationship confirmation is ultimately what led Anne to end her romance with the person she believed to be Pitt. Shortly thereafter, scammers contacted her posing as” Special FBI Agent John Smith”, prompting her to contact the police. The BBC reported that an investigation is now underway.
Anne told TF1 that she has tried to take her own life three times since the scam came to light, the BBC reported, and is now living in a small room with a friend surrounded by what she has left stored in a few boxes.
Her viral story and the AI-generated images of Pitt have taken on a life of their own online, ultimately prompting TF1 to pull the segment.
” The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness”, the news magazine program,” Sept à Huit” , , said , Tuesday on X. ” For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms”.
Meanwhile, this is the second time in recent months that Pitt’s team has made a statement relating to scams involving the actor’s celebrity.
Spanish authorities announced in September that five people were arrested during an investigation into a” criminal organization” that defrauded two women out of$ 350, 000 after they posed online as the actor and promised women potential romantic relationships,  , People , reported. His representatives released a similar statement at the time reminding fans” to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence”.
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