What happened

Anne, a 53-year-old interior designer, began her online relationship with the fake Brad Pitt in February 2023 after creating an Instagram account. The scam started when someone impersonating Pitt's mother contacted her, claiming that her son needed a woman like her. 

Over the course of a year, Anne received daily messages filled with declarations of love and proposals from someone she believed was Brad Pitt. 

The scammers even sent AI-generated images depicting Pitt in distress due to a supposed illness, further convincing her to send large sums of money for medical bills and customs fees related to luxury gifts they claimed were being sent to her. 

Ultimately, she transferred nearly all of her divorce settlement funds to the fraudsters before realising she had been duped when she saw the real Brad Pitt publicly with his new partner in mid-2024.

Why it happened

The scam's success appears to be attributable to several factors, including the ease with which AI can be used to impersonate other people, and Anne's emotional vulnerability during a tumultuous period in her life.

Why the scammer targeted Anne specifically remains unclear.