PARIS: A French woman who revealed on television how she lost her life savings to scammers posing as Brad Pitt has faced a wave of online harassment and trolling, prompting her interview. The consultation was canceled on Tuesday.
The woman, named Anne, told the program “Seven to Eight” on channel TF1 that she believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star, which led to her divorcing her husband and transferring 830,000 euros ($850,000).
The scammers used fake WhatsApp and social media accounts, as well as AI image generation technology, to send Anne what appeared to be selfies and messages from Brad Pitt.
To extort money, they pretended the 61-year-old actor needed money for kidney treatment; his bank account was said to have been frozen because of divorce proceedings with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie.
Anne, a 53-year-old interior decorator with mental health problems, spent a year and a half believing she was communicating with Pitt and only realized she had been duped when news of the real-life relationship emerged. Pitt’s real life with girlfriend Ines de Ramon.
“The story that aired this Sunday has led to a wave of witness harassment,” TF1 presenter Harry Roselmack wrote on his X account on Tuesday. “To protect victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platform.”
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Anne was told by this channel that at the time of the broadcast, she was severely depressed and had to be treated at the hospital.
‘Hell’
The interview, in which she was publicly filmed and even shared family photos with reporters, went viral on Monday.
It sparked countless derisive comments and jokes, but some online critics accused TF1 of failing to protect a vulnerable individual who may not have been aware of the consequences of public action. declare.
Toulouse Football Club tweeted that “Brad told us he will be at the stadium on Wednesday” for the team’s next match, before retracting the message and apologizing.
Netflix France also posted on social media advertising “four movies to watch with Brad Pitt (really) for free.”
Romance scams have been a feature of the Internet since the advent of email, but experts say artificial intelligence (AI) has increased the risk of identity theft, phishing and online scams.
Anne told TF1 that she was first contacted by someone posing as Pitt’s mother shortly after she first started using Instagram while skiing with her family in France.
“She told me that her son needed someone like me,” Anne explained.
The scammers texted her again a few days later, this time impersonating Pitt.
“At first I told myself it was fake, it was ridiculous,” Anne explained to TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I really don’t understand what’s happening to me.”
“I wonder why they chose me to do such a harmful thing?” she continued. “I have never harmed anyone. These people deserve to go to hell.”