A French woman's dream of a fairytale romance with Brad Pitt turned into a costly nightmare when she fell victim to an elaborate online scam. The 53-year-old interior designer, identified only as Anne, lost approximately $850,000 after being tricked by individuals impersonating the actor, his family, and his staff.

The scam began with a message on Instagram, purportedly from Pitt's mother, Jane Etta Pitt. The message suggested that Anne was exactly the kind of woman Pitt needed. Despite initial skepticism, Anne continued communicating with the impersonators, who showered her with romantic messages, poems, and manipulated images.

To further the deception, other individuals posed as Pitt's manager and daughter, Shiloh. When Anne questioned the lack of direct visual contact, the scammers sent her an AI-generated video. The scheme took a financial turn when Anne was asked to pay over 9,000 euros in customs fees to receive luxury gifts. Having recently received a substantial divorce settlement, Anne disclosed this information to the fake Pitt, who then claimed to be battling kidney cancer and struggling financially due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie.

Anne subsequently sent a significant portion of her settlement to the impersonator. The con artists even sent doctored photos of Pitt supposedly in the hospital, holding a card that read, "Anne I love you." Despite having doubts and blocking the scammer's number several times, Anne repeatedly re-engaged with them. When news of Pitt's relationship with Inés de Ramon emerged, the scammers provided a fabricated news report to allay Anne's concerns.

The truth finally dawned on Anne when genuine photos of Pitt and de Ramon surfaced. She pursued legal action, but the ensuing public ridicule led the French television channel TF1, which initially reported her story, to remove it from their platforms.

Experts warn that such scams are becoming increasingly prevalent due to the accessibility of celebrity images and the sophistication of AI technology. They advise extreme caution when interacting with anyone online claiming to be a celebrity and emphasize that requests for money are a major red flag.