Brad Pitt responds after wife of millionaire who thought she was dating him scammed out of $1.6 million

The real Brad Pitt has responded after the plight of a woman who was tricked into thinking she was dating him and scammed out of $1.6m went viral.

The 53-year-old millionaire’s wife was duped into believing she was in a relationship with Pitt in a clumsy but ultimately effective online hoax that included fake, AI-generated images of the Hollywood star in hospital receiving treatment for kidney cancer.

The story of the French interior designer, known only as Anne, was made public on television show Sept à huit earlier this week.

Now, a spokesman for Pitt (the real one) has responded, saying “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities”.

“This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”

Anne, who thought she was in a long-term relationship with the star, said her ordeal began in February 2023 when she was contacted on social media by someone claiming to be Jane Pitt, the film star’s mother.

They began chatting, and “Mrs Pitt” said Anne would be a good match for her son. Soon, someone claiming to be Pitt himself contacted her and said his mother had told him all about her.

What ensued was 18 months of messages every day on social media and WhatsApp, and despite some early suspicions, Anne soon felt at ease in the “relationship”.

To woo her, the scammer sent poems and fake photos.

“I was in love with the man I was chatting to. He knew how to speak to a woman,” she said.

The bogus Pitt proposed to Anne and promised her fancy gifts – and then got her to pay customs fees of €9000 (AUD$15,000) to receive them.

However, when she revealed that she was having a difficult time with her millionaire husband and was expecting a large divorce settlement the demands for money ramped up.

Claiming he was desperate, fake Pitt appealed for help in paying for urgent kidney cancer treatment, explaining he could not access his fortune thanks to his acrimonious divorce from Angelina Jolie.

To support his claims, the scammer provided doctored photos of Pitt that showed him in hospital beds and hooked up to a ventilator.

Despite the red flag that “Pitt” refused to speak on the phone, Anne parted with nearly €1 million (AUD$1.6m) before she finally realised she was being deceived.

The final straw that tipped her off that it was all an elaborate hoax was when she read media reports about the actor and his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.

Police have begun an investigation, and Anne is now reportedly in a clinic suffering from depression.