A recent scam involving the likeness of actor Brad Pitt has left a 53-year-old French woman, identified only as Anne, devastated after she wired a scammer $850,000 under the false impression that she was helping to pay for the actor's kidney treatment. This incident has prompted a warning from Pitt's representative, who emphasized the importance of not responding to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who do not have a social media presence.
Anne explained that she was contacted on social media with images that appeared to show Pitt hospitalized in grave condition. She was eventually convinced that she was in a romantic relationship with the actor and that his bank accounts were frozen due to his ongoing divorce with Angelina Jolie. It was only after Pitt's actual relationship with Ines de Ramon hit the news that Anne realized she had been duped.
Following the revelation of the scam, Anne has filed a police report and has reportedly suffered from severe depression. The incident has also sparked cyberbullying against Anne, with Netflix France and the Toulouse Football Club making jokes at her expense before deleting their posts.
In response to the cyberbullying, TF1 has pulled the episode of "Seven to Eight" in which Anne shared her story. The incident serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling victim to online scams and the importance of verifying information before taking any action.