Once upon a time in Hollywood, a scammer posing as Brad Pitt allegedly ran off with thousands of dollars in a catfishing scheme.
That was what a 53-year-old woman said happened to her after being duped into believing she was in a romantic relationship with the Oscar winner. The woman—who identified herself as Anne—recently appeared on French news show Sept à huit to share her story, saying that she gave away almost all her life savings to a person pretending to be Brad online.
Now, in a statement to E! News, Brad’s rep addressed the situation.
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” the spokesperson said on Jan. 15, “but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”
Indeed, Brad does not have verified accounts on major social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). But that didn’t stop Anne from believing he did.
“I’m not used to social media,” Anne told Sept à huit as she explained how she was first contacted online by someone claiming to be his mom Jane Etta Pitt, per BFM TV. “And I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
Anne said she was then messaged by a person claiming to be Brad, who told her, “My mother told me a lot about you.” The two continued corresponding, with Anne eventually falling in love with her pen pal after receiving love poems.
“There are so few men who write you this kind of thing,” she recounted. “I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done.”
After divulging that she had come into a divorce settlement with her ex-husband, Anne said the purported Brad told her he had been locked out of his bank accounts due to his divorce with Angelina Jolie and needed a loan for supposed cancer treatments. She said the fake Brad sent her images as proof of the alleged hospitalization, which all appeared to be AI-generated in hindsight.
“It hurt me to do it,” Anne said, “but I told myself that I might save a man’s life.”
Anne only realized she had been swindled when she started seeing photos of the real Brad stepping out with girlfriend Ines de Ramon. By then, she said she had already given out approximately $850,000.
“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?” Anne said during her appearance on Sept à huit, according to French outlet AFP. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”
For a complete guide to Brad’s IRL love life, keep reading.