No one likes getting scammed—whether it’s for $1 or $100. But imagine being swindled out of $850,000. That’s exactly what happened to a woman named Anne, who thought she was connecting with Brad Pitt, only to discover she’d fallen victim to an elaborate catfishing scheme. The story has since gone viral, and now the real Pitt is breaking his silence.
Through his rep, the award-winning actor spoke out about the situation.
"It's awful that scammers take advantage of fans' strong connection with celebrities," his spokesperson told E! News. "But this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence."
Anne shared how it all started during an interview, explaining that she was first contacted on social media by someone claiming to be Pitt’s mother.
"I'm not used to social media," she admitted, per E!. "And I didn't really understand what was happening to me." The two began corresponding and Anne fell for her supposed pen pal after receiving heartfelt love poems.
Things took a darker turn when Anne revealed she had received a divorce settlement. The fake Brad claimed he was locked out of his accounts because of his divorce with Angelina Jolie and needed money for supposed cancer treatments. Anne, wanting to help, ended up transferring around $850,000.
"It hurt me to do it," she said. "But I told myself that I might save a man’s life." Anne only realized she’d been conned when she saw photos of the real Brad Pitt stepping out with girlfriend Ines de Ramon.
"I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm," Anne said in her interview. "These people deserve hell."
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