A happily-ever-after with whom a girl assumed to be Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt rapidly become a dwelling nightmare.
On Jan. 12, the French tv channel TF1 aired an episode of its present “Sept à Huit,” which advised the story of a 53-year-old inside designer named Anne who revealed that she had misplaced 830,000 euros (roughly $850,000) in private funds as a result of she thought she was sending cash to a cancer-ridden Pitt.
Via falsified paperwork and pictures in addition to synthetic intelligence, Anne believed she was talking to, and ultimately in a relationship with, the 61-year-old actor.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
A girl was conned into believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt after being contacted by somebody claiming to be the actor on Instagram. (Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis through Getty Photos)
Reportedly contacted in February 2023 on Instagram by an individual who launched themselves as Pitt’s 85-year-old mom, Jane Etta Pitt, Anne acquired a message that stated, “It’s a woman like you that my son needs,” per BFM TV and The Sunday Instances.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne stated, per AFP. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.” Regardless of her skepticism, Anne proceeded with the dialog earlier than being messaged by the alleged Pitt.
“My mother told me a lot about you,” the con artist wrote.
Anne was initially reeled into the scheme by somebody pretending to be Brad Pitt’s mom, Jane. Jane and her son are seen right here on the Academy Awards in 2012. (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Photos)
Anne was barraged with numerous romantic messages and poetry in addition to doctored images. The operation was multifaceted, with others posing as Pitt’s supervisor and daughter, Shiloh, who he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, to assist within the con. Following a contentious eight-year authorized battle, Pitt and Jolie finalized their divorce settlement in 2024 after being legally declared “single” in 2019.
“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is their multilayered approach,” Marva Bailer, AI skilled and founder and CEO of Qualaix, advised Fox Information Digital. “Scammers build trust over time, often pretending to be a family member, a staff member or even someone close to the celebrity who claims they are helping the celebrity by managing their charitable efforts. This indirect approach makes the scam seem more credible, as it’s not the celebrity asking for help directly, it’s someone positioned to be more relatable or ‘realistic.’ It plays on the idea that the celebrity is too proud or private to ask for help themselves, which makes the situation seem more genuine.”
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce settlement in 2024. (MARK RALSTON/AFP through Getty Photos)
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Anne was troubled by her lack of visible communication with the actor, prompting the scammer to ship her an AI-curated video. Cash was launched into the dialog when Anne was advised she’d have to pay greater than 9,000 euros in customs tariffs with a view to settle for luxurious presents from the individual posing as Pitt.
A current divorcée, Anne relayed to the scammer that she’d acquired a hefty divorce settlement of 775,000 euros. After this admission, the Pitt impersonator advised Anne that he had kidney most cancers and was struggling to pay for his therapies attributable to his ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie. Anne despatched most of her divorce settlement to the faux Pitt.
All through the therapy, the alleged Pitt despatched Anne a sequence of doctored footage depicting his time within the hospital receiving therapy. In a single image, Pitt lies in a hospital mattress holding a card that reads, “Anne I love you.”
Doctored pictures of Brad Pitt had been despatched to Anne. An AI-generated video of Pitt was additionally despatched. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)
A novice at social media, Anne had lingering doubts and the wherewithal to dam the scammer’s quantity on a number of events, finally succumbing to her emotions and resuming communication. After initially studying a report that Pitt was concerned with businesswoman Inés de Ramon, she was despatched a faux TV report back to mitigate her qualms, which clarified the couple wasn’t collectively.
When pictures of the couple had been launched over the summer time, Anne knew it was all a con and determined to take authorized motion. The story was finally pulled by TF1 as a result of she began to expertise excessive ridicule. The community launched an announcement saying they’d chosen to tug the story from their platforms after the preliminary broadcast “sparked a wave of harassment” towards the sufferer.
Brad Pitt and his girlfriend, Inés de Ramon, are photographed collectively on the F1 Grand Prix of Nice Britain. (Kym Illman/Getty Photos)
A consultant for Pitt advised E! Information on Jan. 15 that the scenario involving Anne was “awful.”
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” the rep stated, “but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”
Pitt doesn’t have any verified social media platforms. The actor’s consultant didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
Bailer echoed these sentiments, sharing that with how simply accessible superstar imagery is, individuals are in danger: “With access to a celebrity’s public persona and online presence, they can create fake social media accounts or send highly convincing emails or messages that look as though they come directly from the celebrity or their team. Fans, eager to be a part of something that feels exclusive, can easily be misled into thinking they are engaging with someone they trust.”
Brad Pitt doesn’t have any verified social media platforms. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Photos for Lexus)
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, an organization that makes a speciality of facial recognition and deepfake detection, advised Fox Information Digital that scams like this one involving Pitt’s likeness “are becoming increasingly common.”
“For everyone who is interacting with these scam accounts, please be aware that the scammers often give reasons why they have to hide their relationships. They fake medical issues or being stranded somewhere, these are all red flags. But the biggest red flag is asking for any kind of money at all.”
“These types of scams are rampant and the deepfakes being made through the use of artificial intelligence are getting better and better all of the time,” Rob Rosenburg, who runs the consulting agency Telluride Authorized Methods, advised Fox Information Digital. “Unless you travel in celebrity circles, you should treat any communication originating from a celebrity with caution. It is more likely a scam than authentic.”
A consultant for Brad Pitt condemned the actions of the scammers. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Photos)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
