AI scammers pretend to be woman con Brad Pitt out of $850,000

A happily ever after with a woman assuming she’s a Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt It quickly turned into a living nightmare.

On January 12, French television channel TF1 aired an episode of its show “Sept à Huit,” which tells the story of a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne who revealed that she lost 830,000 euros (about $850,000) in 2018. Personal Money Because she thought she was sending money to Pete who had cancer.

Through forged documents and photos as well as artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was speaking to the 61-year-old actor, and eventually had an affair with him.

What is artificial intelligence (AI)?

He was reportedly contacted in February 2023 on Instagram by someone who introduced himself as Pete’s 85-year-old mother. Jane Etta PeteAnne received a letter that said: “It is a woman like you that my son needs.” BFM TV And Sunday times.

“At first I said to myself, ‘It’s fake, it’s ridiculous,’” Anne said. By Agence France-Presse. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.” Despite her doubts, Anne continued the conversation before Pete allegedly sent her.

“My mother has told me a lot about you,” the con artist wrote.

Anne was bombarded with countless romantic letters and poetry as well as manipulated photographs. The operation was multi-faceted, with others posing as Pitt’s manager and his daughter, Shiloh, who he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, to help with the scam. After an eight-year legal battle, Pitt and Jolie have finalized their divorce settlement in 2024 after being declared legally “single” in 2019.

“What makes these scams particularly dangerous is their multi-layered approach,” Marva Byler, an AI expert and founder and CEO of Qualaix, told Fox News Digital. “Scammers build trust over time, often pretending to be a family member, an employee, or even someone close to a celebrity and claiming to be helping the celebrity by running their charitable efforts. This indirect approach makes the scam seem more credible, because it’s not the celebrity who is He’s asking for help directly, he’s someone who’s in a position to be more relatable or “realistic.” He plays on the idea that celebrities are too proud or too isolated to ask for help themselves, which makes the situation seem more real.

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Ann was upset by her lack of eye contact with the actor, which prompted the scammer to send her an AI-sponsored video. Money was introduced into the conversation when Anne was told she would need to pay more than €9,000 in customs duties in order to accept luxury gifts from the person pretending to be Pete.

Anne, recently divorced, told the scammer she had received a huge divorce settlement worth €775,000. After this confession, the impersonator told Beth Ann that he had kidney cancer and was struggling to pay for his treatment due to ongoing divorce proceedings with Jolie. Anne sent most of her divorce settlement to the fake Pete.

Throughout the treatment, Pete allegedly sent Anne A series of processed images It depicts the time he spent in the hospital receiving treatment. In one photo, Pitt lies in a hospital bed and holds a card that says, “Anne, I love you.”

A social media novice, Anne had constant doubts and had the wherewithal to block the scammer’s number on multiple occasions, eventually giving in to her feelings and resuming contact. After initially reading a report that Pitt was involved with a businesswoman Ines de RamonTo ease her fears, she was sent a fake TV report, which made it clear that the couple were not together.

When photos of the couple were published over the summer, Anne realized it was all a hoax and decided to take legal action. The story was eventually withdrawn by TF1 because it began to be subjected to extreme ridicule. The network issued a statement saying it had chosen to pull the story from its platforms after the initial broadcast sparked a “wave of harassment” against the victim.

Pitt’s rep said and! news on 15 January that the situation relating to Anne was “terrible”.

“It’s terrible that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder not to respond to unwanted online communication, especially from actors who don’t have a social media presence,” the actor said.

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

These sentiments were echoed by Byler, who shared that with easy access to images of celebrities, people are at risk: “By having access to a celebrity’s public persona and online presence, they can create fake social media accounts or send very convincing emails or messages.” They look like they’re coming straight from the celebrity or their team, and fans, eager to be part of something that seems exclusive, can easily be misled into thinking they’re dealing with someone they trust.

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Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, a company specializing in facial recognition and deepfake detection, told Fox News Digital that scams like this involving Pete’s likeness are “becoming increasingly common.”

“For everyone who interacts with these fraudulent accounts, please know that scammers often give reasons why they have to hide their relationships. They fake medical problems or being stranded somewhere, these are all red flags. But the biggest red flag is asking for what kind No money at all.”

“These types of scams are widespread, and deepfakes conducted through the use of artificial intelligence are constantly improving,” Rob Rosenberg, who runs consulting firm Telluride Legal Strategies, told Fox News Digital. “Unless you travel in celebrity circles, you should treat any communication from a celebrity with caution. It is more likely a scam than real.”

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