In one of many stories of celebrity-centered fraud, a 53-year-old French woman named Anne was recently conned out of $850,000 by online scammers. Her story of getting taken by thieves posing as Brad Pitt on Instagram went viral after she came forward and admitted she thought she was in a long-distance relationship with the Ocean’s Eleven star. In a statement obtained by Variety, Pitt’s spokesperson said:
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities. This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”
In the wake of the scam, Anne received quite a bit of online mockery, as if losing almost a million dollars wasn’t painful enough. Anne, an interior decorator, was first approached by scammers pretending to be Pitt’s mother after she started an Instagram account to post pictures of her vacation in Tignes, in the French Alps. Slowly, the flimflam evolved when the scammers started sending Anne AI pictures of Pitt in a hospital bed in dire need of money for a kidney transplant, claiming that his money wasn’t accessible due to the actor’s divorce from Angelina Jolie. After a while, Anne, who had received money from her own divorce settlement, sent all the funds to the impostors.
AI and the Scam Economy, Explained
One of the biggest growth sectors in the last 30 years is without question the scam economy. From phishing, to fake texts and DMs from people with seven numbers in their username, to bogus celebrity relationships, the internet has ensured that most waking adult life is dodging some kind of ripoff. The proliferation of AI images has slammed on the gas for scams aimed at the less tech-savvy Boomer generation, who have no cognitive immunity to this strain of fraud. Couple this with an increasingly lonely and atomized population, and it’s perhaps easier to see how one caught up at the wrong moment could be taken for a ride. This latest scam involving Pitt’s image is just one of several in recent memory that has capitalized on celebrity and parasocial relationships with fans.
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The actor has shared his own message online to warn his fans to be vigilant, and reiterate that he never contacts anyone on social media for money.
Anne is one of many who have fallen prey to similar scams and has come forward in hopes to warn others of her folly. In an interview with Le Figaro newspaper, Anne stated the following:
“Only thing we’re going to remember is that ‘Anne fell in love with a fake Brad Pitt. Now, to begin with, I’ve never cheated on my husband in my life because I’m a caring woman, I’m not crazy or corny, as some people say or write on social networks. I just wanted to help someone… and yes, I’ve been scammed. That’s why I came forward, because I’m not the only one in this situation.”
One thing is certain – no celebrity is messaging you, ever. Especially if they are asking you for money.
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