Live a happy life with a woman considered a Hollywood hunk brad pitt It quickly turned into a living nightmare.

On January 12, the French TV channel TF1 aired an episode of the program “Sept à Huit”, telling the story of a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne. She revealed that she lost 830,000 euros (approximately) in 2017. ($850,000). Personal funds because she thought she was sending money to Pete, who had cancer.

Through forged documents and images, as well as artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was talking to the 61-year-old actor and eventually developed a relationship with him.

What is artificial intelligence (AI)?

A woman was tricked into believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt after being contacted by someone claiming to be him on Instagram. (Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

According to reports, in February 2023, a person claiming to be Pitt’s 85-year-old mother got in touch on Instagram. Jane Etta PittAnne received a message that read: “My son needs a woman like you.” BFM TV and The Sunday Times.

“At first I said to myself this is fake, this is ridiculous,” Anne said, AFP reports. “But I’m not used to social media and I don’t quite understand what’s happening to me.” Although Anne was skeptical, she continued the conversation before hearing from the alleged Pete.

“My mom told me a lot about you,” Liar wrote.

Anne was initially drawn into the scheme by someone posing as Brad Pitt’s mother Jane. In 2012, Jane attended the Oscars with her son. (Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images)

Anne received numerous romantic messages, poems, and altered photographs. The operation was multifaceted, with others posing as Pitt’s agent and Pitt’s daughter Shiloh with ex-wife Angelina Jolie to assist in the scam. After eight years of contentious legal battle, Pitt and Jolie finalize divorce settlement After legally declaring “single” in 2019, they will get married in 2024.

“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is the multi-layered approach they employ,” artificial intelligence expert Marva Bailer, founder and CEO of Qualaix, told Fox Digital News. “Scammers build trust over time, often posing as family members, staff, or even people close to the celebrity, claiming they are helping the celebrity by managing charities. This indirect approach makes the scam more It seems more believable because it’s not the celebrity asking for help directly, but someone more relatable or “realistic” and it plays on the idea that the celebrity is too proud or too private to ask for help themselves, which makes the situation look more believable. It seems more real.”

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce in 2024. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

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Anne was troubled by the lack of visual communication with the actor, prompting the scammer to send her the AI-curated video. The conversation turned to money when Anne was told she would have to pay more than €9,000 in customs duties to accept a lavish gift from someone pretending to be Pete.

Anne, who had just been divorced, revealed to the scammer that she had received a huge divorce settlement of €775,000. After the admission, Pitt’s impersonator told Anne that he had kidney cancer and was struggling to pay for treatment due to his ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie. Anne sent most of the divorce papers to the fake Pete.

Throughout the treatment, Pete allegedly sent Anne A series of modified images Depicting his time in hospital receiving treatment. In one photo, Pitt is seen lying in a hospital bed holding a card that says “Annie, I love you.”

Edited photos of Brad Pitt sent to Anne. An AI-generated video of Pete was also sent. (Axel/Ball Griffin)

As a newbie to social media, Anne was always suspicious and blocked the scammer’s phone number several times before finally giving in to her feelings and getting back in touch. After initially reading reports that Pitt was having an affair with a businesswoman Ines de Ramonshe received a false TV report to allay her concerns, clarifying that the couple were not together.

When photos of the couple were released over the summer, Anne knew it was all a hoax and decided to take legal action. The story was eventually taken down by TF1 because she began experiencing extreme ridicule. The network issued a statement saying it chose to pull the story from its platform after the initial broadcast “sparked a wave of harassment directed at the victim.”

Brad Pitt was photographed with girlfriend Inés de Ramon at the British F1 Grand Prix. (Kym Illman/Getty Images)

A rep for Pitt told and! information On January 15, Anne’s condition was “very bad.”

The representative said: “It’s terrible that scammers are taking advantage of fans’ strong connection to celebrities, but it’s an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who don’t have a social media presence. ”

Pete does not have any verified social media platforms. A rep for the actor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Byler echoed these sentiments, saying that because celebrity images are so readily available, people face risks: “By knowing a celebrity’s public image and online presence, they can create fake social media accounts or send highly persuasive emails. or messages that look like they are coming directly from the celebrity or their team, eager to be part of something that feels unique, it is easy to be misled into thinking they are engaging with someone they trust.”

Brad Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms. (Pascal Le Segretan/Getty Images for Lexus)

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Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, a company that specializes in facial recognition and deepfake detection, told Fox News Digital that scams like the ones involving Pitt’s likeness are “becoming more and more common “.

“For everyone who interacts with these scam accounts, be aware that scammers often give reasons why they have to hide their relationship. They fake medical issues or are trapped somewhere, and those are all red flags. But the biggest red flag is is asking for any kind of money.”

“Scams like these are rampant, and deepfakes created using artificial intelligence are getting better and better,” Rob Rosenburg, who runs consulting firm Telluride Legal Strategies, told Fox News Digital. “Unless you’re in Travel in celebrity circles, otherwise you should be cautious about any communication from a celebrity. It’s more likely to be a scam than genuine.”

Brad Pitt’s rep condemned the scammer’s actions. (Pascal Le Segretan/Getty Images)

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