"Brad Pitt Loves Me"... Woman Who Left Husband and Sent 1.2 Billion Won Finally

Transferred 1.2 Billion Won Over Several Months
Pursuing Legal Action Against a Scammer She Never Met

A story has emerged about a French woman who was deceived by a scammer impersonating American Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, leading to her divorce from her husband and losing 1.2 billion won. On the 14th (local time), the French daily Le Figaro reported that Ann (a pseudonym, 53), an interior designer living in the French overseas territory of R?union, was scammed by a fake Brad Pitt she communicated with through social networking service (SNS) accounts, sending 830,000 euros (about 1.2 billion won) over several months.

A story has emerged about a French woman who was deceived by a scammer impersonating American Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, leading her to divorce her husband and lose 1.2 billion won. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News

Ann, who created her Instagram account around February 2023 and posted winter vacation photos, was later contacted by a fake account under the name of Brad Pitt's mother, "Jane Etta Pitt." The next day, she received a message from an account introducing itself as Brad Pitt, saying, "My mother talked about you." This fake Brad Pitt account regularly sent Ann love poems and frequently messaged, "I want you. My love." Above all, unlike Ann's husband, this account showed interest in his works. Falling in love with the fake Brad Pitt, Ann eventually divorced her husband and dreamed of a new life with the globally popular actor. She trusted the fake photos and counterfeit passport copies sent by him without suspicion.

Ann told TF1 broadcast, "He knew how to talk to women. Men who write such messages (love messages) are really rare," and added, "I loved that man." Ann informed her new lover, the fake Brad Pitt, that she had divorced her wealthy husband and received 775,000 euros (about 1.16 billion won) in alimony. Then, the fake Brad Pitt demanded money from Ann for various reasons, claiming he needed hospital treatment. Although Ann was suspicious when the Hollywood actor asked her to send money to a Turkish bank account, she was deceived by his words, "I have no reason to live without you."

After sending 830,000 euros over several months, Ann realized one day that she had been scammed. Last summer, she confirmed through the media photos of the real Brad Pitt with his current girlfriend, Ines de Ramon. Shocked, Ann attempted suicide three times and was hospitalized in a specialized clinic for severe depression. She is currently pursuing legal action against the scammer, whose face she does not even know. She also started an online fundraising campaign to cover legal expenses.

Earlier, in September last year, another case of a large-scale scam involving a fake Brad Pitt was reported. Spanish investigative authorities arrested five members of a gang who impersonated Brad Pitt and swindled 325,000 euros (about 480 million won) from two women. The gang reportedly built emotional relationships with women they met through Brad Pitt's online fan page and then induced them to invest in an unknown project as part of their scam. Notably, the gang targeted women who were emotionally deprived and in a depressed state through SNS, according to investigations.