Brad Pitt‘s team has issued a statement after a fan was catfished and scammed out of $850,000 by someone using Pitt’s photos.
What did Brad Pitt’s team say about the scam?
In a statement sent out on the matter, Pitt’s spokesperson said that it was “awful” that scammers will try and do this in today’s day and age and urged anyone who might be a fan of any celebrity to not respond to any unsolicited messages they receive online.
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” the statement read.
The news of the catfish and subsequent scam went viral on the internet over the past week, with the 53-year-old French woman named Anne revealing to Men’s Journal that she was reached out to by someone alleging to be Brad Pitt and using AI and photoshopped images of Pitt to “prove” to her that it was the actor.
The photos portraying Pitt in what looked to be a hospital setting went viral on social media. One showcased Pitt being involved in surgery as well.
The woman was convinced by the false Pitt to send money to the person after claiming that he was unable to access his bank accounts due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie. All told, the woman sent over $850,000 to the fake Pitt and didn’t realize that the person was not Pitt until she saw actual photos of him out with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne said in an interview with Men’s Journal. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me. I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this? I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”
