Real Pitt: Star responds after French woman conned Sh110m by fake Brad Pitt AI profile

In a bewildering turn of events that has left some gasping for breath and others scratching their heads, a French woman found herself divorced and nearly broke after a convoluted scheme.

At the heart of it all was a freshly divorced Brad Pitt (or someone resembling him), who somehow led her to believe that the Hollywood star was truly in love with her.

It all reportedly kicked off when a woman was approached by a social media profile named Jane Etta Pitt, who was pretending to be Brad Pitt's mother. Their discussions soon shifted to compliments, with the account suggesting she was the perfect match for the actor.

Eventually, 'Brad' made contact, leading to a sweet romance that even featured a proposal. The initial money transfer took place when 'Brad' indicated he wanted to send her luxurious gifts, but she was told she would have to pay customs fees exceeding Sh1.68 million ($13,000).

In an interview with the Seven to Eight program on TF1, Anne disclosed that she believed she was romantically involved with a Hollywood star, which led her to divorce her husband and send over Sh110 million ($850,000).

The scammers crafted a web of deceit using fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, along with AI-generated photos, to deliver what appeared to be selfies and messages from Pitt.

They concocted a story that the 61-year-old actor needed financial assistance for kidney treatment, suggesting that his bank accounts were frozen due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie.

Anne, a 53-year-old interior decorator with mental health struggles, was under the impression that she was in touch with Pitt for a year and a half.

It wasn't until she learned about his real-life romance with Ines de Ramon that she understood she had been a victim of a scam.

Responding to the scam, a spokesperson for the actor told US outlet Entertainment Weekly, “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,”

The spokesperson added it was “an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”