A French woman was defrauded out of €830,000 (£700,000) by a scammer using AI-generated images of Brad Pitt who said they needed the money for cancer treatment.

The interior designer was scammed out of €830,000 after she was duped into thinking that she was in a relationship with the Hollywood actor and that he needed money for cancer treatment.

The 53-year-old’s story was broadcast on French TV show Sept à Huit on TF1, where she disclosed being scammed by individuals pretending to be Brad Pitt. They used fake social media and artificial intelligence image-creating technology to craft an elaborate and heartbreaking swindle.  

In the episode, Anne shared how she received a message from someone purporting to be Jane Etta Pitt, the actor’s mother, telling her she was exactly the woman her son needed. Soon afterwards, she started receiving messages from what she didn’t know was an AI imitation of Brad Pitt. Anne was going through a divorce with a millionaire entrepreneur at the time, and over the course of a year, her ‘lover’ would send declarations of love and even asked her to marry him.  

“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne explained. “But I’m not used to social media, and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

“There are few men who write to you like that,” she told French media. “I loved the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, and it was very well put together.”

Once the link of trust was established, then came requests for money, as the scammer began to send luxury goods to Anne as gifts. However, she was told she had to take care of the customs bill – which for one handbag was reportedly €9,000.  

When Anne’s daughter warned her that she was being conned, she said: “You’ll see when he’s here in person then you’ll say sorry.” 

Eventually, AI photos were sent showing Brad Pitt in hospital with kidney cancer. He needed money for treatment, with the excuse being that Pitt’s real-life ex-wife Angelina Jolie had frozen his bank accounts. 

Despite Anne’s doubts, she was reassured by the fake star’s “doctor”, who emailed her explaining Pitt was fighting to survive. It was then that Anne transferred around €800,000 to an account in Turkey. 

Brad Pitt (the real one) have reacted to the con story through his spokesperson: “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.”

French police are investigating the scam.