In Defense of the French Woman Who Fell Victim to the Brad Pitt Poser

In the club (this hellscape we call a planet), we're all being scammed by fucking losers.

By Audra Heinrichs  |  January 14, 2025 | 5:21pm
Photo: Getty Images/Twitter CelebritiesLatestNot So Deep Thoughts
In Defense of the French Woman Who Fell Victim to the Brad Pitt Poser

This week, the terminally online are getting their jollies from a story about a 53-year-old French woman who fell prey to an online scam.

On Sunday, the woman—identified only as Anne—appeared as a guest on the Seven to Eight program on the TF1 channel to discuss an ongoing case in which she claims to be a victim. It all started in February 2023, when the woman—who was then married to a wealthy entrepreneur—made an Instagram to post photos from a trip to the French Alps. The self-described social media novice said it wasn’t long before she was contacted by an account claiming to be Jane Pitt…as in Brad Pitt’s mother.

The pair began a back-and-forth based on the poser-Pitt’s assertion that Anne would be a good match for her *checks Google* 61-year-old son. Shortly thereafter, a different account DM’d Anne, introducing themself as none other than the actor.

“I’d like to know more about you,” one message to Anne reportedly read. “But I’d like to know whether you work in the media as I’m protective of my private life.”

Despite being in a relationship with—once again—a wealthy entrepreneur, Anne spent a year and a half communicating with the person she thought was Pitt. Meanwhile, the poser-Pitt used WhatsApp accounts and AI technology to send her what appeared to be selfies, poems, songs, and an apparent copy of Pitt’s passport. Now, while I totally get being convinced of a person’s identity via a copy of their passport, the photos that poser-Pitt sent are so bad that they should forever be cited in every case against AI. For example: in one, Pitt’s face is photoshopped onto a man mid-surgery. In another, a clearly altered Pitt holds up a sign that reads, “Anne, I love you.”

Still, according to Anne, they spoke daily. She even left her husband for poser-Pitt. “I was in love with the man I was chatting to,” she said. “He knew how to speak to a woman.”

Given Anne’s feelings, she sadly didn’t hesitate when the poser-Pitt asked for some financial help for cancer treatment because his accounts had purportedly been frozen due to his high-profile divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie. Long story short: Anne relented and wound up spending $850,000. Shame on every single one of this woman’s friends…

Honestly, the whole thing makes me sad. I personally can’t imagine being scammed out of money by a person posing as a celebrity online. Then again, I also don’t have much of it, and every cent I do have is currently going to TikTok shop. What is a $20.99 powder that supposedly de-bloats you if not a scam? And besides, millions of us are all still on Elon Musk’s Twitter and Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram, are we not? In the club (this hellscape we call a planet), we’re all being scammed by fucking losers.
Solidarity, sister.

 
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