Woman falls victim to Brad Pitt catfish who scammed her out of $850,000 'for surgery'

A French woman allegedly fell victim to a sophisticated AI scam of a Brad Pitt catfish who claimed he needed surgery, prompting her to fork out a staggering $850,000 (£700,000).

With technology advancing at such a rapid rate, AI scams are becoming increasingly difficult to spot. So when the victim was contacted by someone posing as Brad Pitt's mum on Facebook, she was soon led down a dark path of deception.

According to French broadcaster BFM TV, the elaborate scam began in 2023 when the fraudster, posing as Pitt, convinced the woman to divorce her wealthy husband and marry him instead. The scammer initially persuaded her to send over $9,000, claiming he had bought her gifts but was struggling to get them through French customs.

After receiving a large sum from her divorce settlement, the scammer then claimed he had cancer and couldn't pay for his kidney transplant as the money was tied up from his divorce from Angelina Jolie.

To further manipulate her, they sent AI-generated images of Pitt in a hospital bed, convincing her to wire an additional $800,000. Throughout their communication, they only spoke via text messages, as he was never available for phone calls.

It wasn't until a photo surfaced of Pitt and Ines de Ramon that the woman realised she had been duped.

In 2024, she reported the scam to French authorities and is reportedly receiving treatment for depression.

In response to the story, Pitt's spokesperson said: "It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities.

"This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks."

Indy100 reached out to the French government for comment

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