Brad Pitt’s representatives have responded to stories {that a} French girl was scammed out of greater than $800,000 by an individual pretending to be the Oscar winner on-line.
“It’s horrible that scammers benefit from followers’ sturdy connection to celebrities, however this is a vital reminder not to reply to unsolicited on-line contact, particularly from actors who do not have a social media presence,” a spokesperson stated of the “Fight Club” star. Friday in an announcement to the Times.
The girl, recognized as an inside designer named Anne, informed French media that scammers made her consider she was concerned for a yr and a half with the Oscar winner for “Once Upon a Time.” . in Hollywood” and satisfied her to lend him cash to assist pay for medical payments, the BBC reported. His interview aired in prime time Sunday on French TV’s TF1, however the section has since been faraway from the information channel’s web site following a wave of ridicule.
“I used to be made enjoyable of, I admit it, and that is why I got here ahead, as a result of I’m not the one one,” she stated on a well-liked French YouTube program, based on the BBC.
Anne, who stated she was new to social media, stated she first downloaded Instagram in February 2023. The scammers instantly contacted her, first posing as Pitt’s mom, Jane Etta, then because the star on the day After. She stated she was informed Pitt had kidney most cancers, was low on monetary assets as a result of his latest divorce settlement and wanted assist paying payments. The scammers additionally despatched her a number of AI-generated photos of Pitt showing to be in a hospital mattress, and she or he complied.
“At first I informed myself that it was faux, that it was ridiculous,” she informed TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I did not actually perceive what was occurring to me.”
They tricked the lady, a most cancers survivor, into sending Pitt her life financial savings, together with a divorce settlement from her marriage to a rich businessman.
Anne stated that nearly each time she questioned Pitt’s authenticity, the scammers despatched her one thing to dispel her doubts, at one level AI-generating a faux information story about their relationship earlier than the actor went public with girlfriend Ines de Ramon in June. 2024. The affirmation of Pitt and De Ramon’s relationship is in the end what led Anne to finish her romance with the individual she believed was Pitt. Shortly thereafter, the scammers contacted her posing as “FBI Special Agent John Smith,” prompting her to contact the police. The BBC reported that an investigation is now underway.
Anne informed TF1 that she had tried to take her personal life 3 times because the rip-off got here to gentle, the BBC reported, and that she now lives in a small room with a buddy surrounded by what she left saved in some containers .
His viral story and the AI-generated photos of Pitt took on a lifetime of their very own on-line, ultimately prompting TF1 to tug the section.
“The information broadcast this Sunday has triggered a wave of harassment towards the witness,” we learn in this system of the journal “Sept à Huit”. he said Tuesday on X. “For the safety of victims, we’ve got determined to withdraw it from our platforms.”
Meanwhile, that is the second time in latest months that Pitt’s crew has launched an announcement concerning scams involving the actor’s celeb.
Spanish authorities introduced in September that 5 individuals had been arrested throughout an investigation right into a “felony group” that had defrauded two girls of $350,000 after they posed themselves on-line as actors and promised the ladies potential romantic relationships. People reported. His representatives on the time launched the same assertion reminding followers to “don’t reply to unsolicited on-line contact, particularly from actors who haven’t any social media presence.”
