A Woman Divorced Her Husband And Sent More Than $855K To A Scammer Who Convinced Her She Was Dating Brad Pitt

Online scams seem to be getting more sophisticated now that AI can generate images of almost anything.

A 53-year-old French woman, who Yahoo! News identifies as Anne, was recently scammed out of €830,000, which equates to about $855,000, by someone who used AI-generated photos to impersonate Brad Pitt.

In February 2023, Anne says someone who claimed to be Pitt’s mother reached out to her on Instagram and introduced her to her son “Brad.”

Anne was apparently skeptical at first, but after receiving messages, poems, and AI-generated photos and videos from “Brad,” Anne said the scammer professed their love and proposed. She accepted, divorced her husband, and received a €775,000 settlement, which is about $798,000.

The scammer then began asking for money to pay customs fees on “gifts” like diamond rings, as well as for money to help treat their kidney cancer, and even to get out of a bind when they claimed their assets were frozen due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie, Anne shared. She obliged and transferred him the money. One transaction was €60,000, or about $61,000.

Things took a turn for Anne when she saw pictures of the real Brad Pitt with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, on social media. After seeing the photos, she grew suspicious and reported the scammer to police, who launched an investigation.

The Federal Trade Commission said scams that start on social media now account for the highest total losses from scams in the US, reaching $1.4 billion in 2023.

The commission also warned, “As sophisticated and skeptical as business people are, know that even in-the-know professionals have lost thousands to an out-of-the-blue approach from an attractive person who claims to be looking for love.”

Online scammers are clever, so here are some tips to protect yourself and your money. According to Australia’s Scamwatch, you should never give money or personal information to anyone online, never click a link in a message, and contact your bank if you suspect any unusual activity.

What do you think about the situation? Let us know in the comments.