Brad Pitt has publicly addressed the situation following the revelation that his AI likeness was misappropriated by an online scammer to defraud a French woman of an astonishing €830,000 ($851,000). The 61-year-old actor conveyed his shock and indignation upon discovering that his images had been exploited to mislead the victim, who was tricked into transferring a substantial amount of money.

French woman scammed by Pitt’s AI

A 53-year-old woman, known as Anne, became convinced that she was in a romantic relationship with actor Brad Pitt after nearly 18 months of online communication. An impersonator, utilizing Pitt's image, captivated her with declarations of love and even proposed marriage, prompting Anne to divorce her affluent husband, who was 19 years older than her.

Initially, she paid customs fees for luxury handbags that the impersonator promised to send her. However, as the deception unfolded, the scammers intensified their tactics. They claimed that the actor was hospitalized due to kidney cancer and urgently required funds for treatment, persuading Anne to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars. In an emotional interview on French television, she shared how she had been deceived into accepting this fabricated story, as reported by Daily Express US.

The impersonator's rationale for requesting money was that he was unable to access his finances because of an ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie. To lend credibility to the situation, Anne received images of the actor purportedly lying in a hospital bed. Despite her daughter's attempts to alert her to the possibility of a scam, Anne remained convinced by the fabricated evidence that her relationship with Pitt was genuine.

Her doubts began to surface when she encountered photographs of Pitt with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, on social media. However, by that point, she had already spent approximately $850,000.

Pitt responds to the scam

Pitt addressed the fraudulent use of his name following its coverage in the news last week. A representative for the actor stated, “It is unfortunate that scammers exploit the strong connection between fans and celebrities. This serves as a crucial reminder to refrain from engaging with unsolicited online communications, particularly from actors who do not maintain a presence on social media,” as reported by The Daily Express US.

The actor does not possess any verified accounts on major social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and others. The French authorities are currently investigating the scheme orchestrated by the scammers to extract significant amounts of money from their victims.

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