Brad Pitt's happily ever after with a woman considered a Hollywood powerhouse 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)?

In February 2023, Anne was reportedly contacted on Instagram by someone claiming to be Pitt's 85-year-old mother Jane Etta Pitt, according to BFM TV and The Sunday Times.

"At first I said to myself, this is fake, this is ridiculous," Anne said, according to Agence France-Presse. "But I'm not used to social media and I don't quite understand what's happening to me." Although Anne was right about She was skeptical, but continued the conversation until she heard from the so-called Pete.

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

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 battles, Pitt and Jolie finally reached a divorce settlement in 2024 after legally declaring themselves "single" in 2019.

"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 who is 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.”

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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. Money was introduced into the conversation 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 his treatment, Pitt allegedly sent Anne a series of altered photos depicting him receiving treatment in the hospital. In one photo, Pitt is seen lying in a hospital bed holding a card that says "Annie, I love you."

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 businesswoman Ines de Ramon, she received a false TV report to allay her concerns and clarify 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."

A rep for Pitt told E! On January 15, news broke that Anne was in "very bad condition."

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, fans eager to feel part of something unique can easily be misled into thinking they are interacting with someone they trust."

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Luke Arrigoni, CEO of Loti AI, a company that specializes in facial recognition and deepfake detection, told Fox Digital News that scams like this involving Pitt's likeness are "becoming increasingly common." .

"For anyone who interacts with these scam accounts, please be aware that scammers often give reasons why they have to hide their relationship. They fake medical issues or are trapped somewhere, and these 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."

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