A woman reportedly lost $800,000 in a scam using Brad Pitt's name and likeness, but the photo is so fake it's ridiculous.
People get scammed every day and some scammers are very clever, but not this time. Culture Crave reported on the story of a French woman who allegedly fell for this scam on January 14th, but the photos used were so egregious that it's hard to believe anyone could fall for it. Ta. First interviewed by France24, report About women and fraud.
These photos are probably the worst AI-generated creations I've ever seen, and they resemble children's creations. The woman seemed to think she was really talking to the movie star, ostensibly continuing to send him money to pay for his kidney surgery. She reportedly said she subsequently lost nearly $1 million and divorced her husband believing she would spend the rest of her life with Pitt.
A Pitt spokesperson said: “It's terrible when scammers take advantage of the strong connections between fans and celebrities.” said Entertainment Weekly. “However, this is an important reminder to avoid responding to unsolicited online activity, especially from actors who have no presence on social media.”
Made by a representative of the actor similar statement When other reports surfaced in September about impostors posing as Pitt.
French woman scammed over $800,000 by someone posing as Brad Pitt
• The scammer DMed her on Instagram and convinced her with AI-generated videos and edited images.
• She divorced her husband thinking they would be together.
• The scammer convinced her that her bank… pic.twitter.com/VWD3RtvIO3
— Culture Crave🍿 (@CultureCrave) January 14, 2025
How can some people be so stupid? I have no regrets in this situation. The photo is absolutely pathetic. Anyone can easily tell at first glance that it's not real.
The photos of famous actors' faces were all different. Some were brighter than others and didn't line up well with the fake background. Some showed him sitting in a hospital bed, while others zoomed in on staged medical equipment. One super-juvenile photo showed a poorly fabricated image of Pitt holding up a placard that read, “I love you, Ann.”
Elementary school students would be able to create a more effective and convincing image of Pitt than this.
According to Culture Crave, the scammer sent a DM to the woman on Instagram and used the silly photo to convince her that Pitt needed emergency medical attention but couldn't pay for it herself. That's what it means. Red flag, anyone?
VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 1: Brad Pitt attends the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo courtesy of JB Lacroix/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
A less knowledgeable woman realized that the scammer was pretending to be Pitt when he told her his bank account was locked due to his ongoing (at the time) divorce from Angelina Jolie. I believed it. She pried open his bank account and transferred a large sum of money to pay for the fake surgery.
Honestly, it's hard to write this out without rolling my eyes.
I simply cannot understand how this woman convinced him to send a penny. According to the outlet, “Ann” finally realized that she had been horribly deceived after seeing media coverage of Pitt and his new girlfriend. (Related: Tom Hanks issues PSA warning fans about alleged fraud using his name)
Poor Anne – literally.
Just when you thought you had seen it all…
