Brad Pitt Rep Speaks Out After AI Images of Him Were Used to Con French Woman Out of $850,000

“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” Pitt said in a statement via his rep, before sharing his warning to others who may find themselves in another precarious situation with a purported celeb.

Earlier this week, it was reported that 53-year-old woman, identified only as Anne, was conned out of $850,000 by a catfish posing as the 61-year-old Oscar-winning actor. The alleged con artist made her believe that they were dating and proceeded to ask her for help paying for medical care, sharing AI generated photos of Pitt from a hospital bed.

After the story and the fake images of the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor quickly went viral, Pitt released a statement through his rep, calling the ordeal “awful.”

“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” Pitt’s rep shared in a statement with E! News.

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According to U.K. outlet, The Times, Anne reportedly told French television station, TF1, that it all went down after she was contacted by someone claiming to be Pitt’s mother, who told her, “It’s a woman like you that my son needs.”

While Anne was skeptical at first, she kept in contact with the person before she was messaged by someone posing as Pitt.

“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne told TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

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Anne first sent nearly €10,000 to the scammer, or roughly $10,300, after they said they needed her to pay customs tariffs so she could receive gifts they claimed to have sent to her.

“There are so few men who write you this kind of thing,” Anne said. “I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done.”

Anne then reportedly told the scammer that she had recently divorced her husband, and proceeded to send $800,000 to the fake Brad after they said they had developed kidney cancer and needed a loan because his bank accounts were frozen as a result of his divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie — Pitt has since recently finalized his divorce with Jolie, eight years after their split.

The scammer reportedly sent Anne AI-generated images of Pitt’s face over men in hospital beds to strengthen their case.

Things took a turn, however, when the Anne read that the real Pitt was in a relationship with Ines De Ramon. She decide to confront the scammer, who reportedly sent her something denying the reports. After seeing more and more articles about Pitt’s relationship, Anne realized that she had been scammed. She has since filed a lawsuit and a police are investigating the matter.

“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?” Anne said during her appearance on Sept à huit, according to French outlet AFP. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”