Anne believed she was dating Brad Pitt. Then she sent him over $800,000.

"It's a woman like you that my son needs."

If only Anne knew that this message would lead to her losing €800,000 (about $1.3million AUD), she no doubt would have deleted it. Instead, she responded.

The French woman had joined Instagram in February 2023 to share pictures from a skiing holiday in the French Alps. Upon her return, she received a DM from someone claiming to be Brad Pitt's mother, Jane Pitt.

Anne was sceptical. At least, at the start.

"At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it's ridiculous," she told French television outlet TF1. "But I'm not used to social media and I didn't really understand what was happening to me."

Despite her initial doubts, Anne stayed in contact with the woman. Soon, she received another message — this time seemingly from the actor himself.

Watch: Angelina Jolie on her "difficult" divorce from Brad Pitt. Post continues after video.

"I'd like to know more about you," he told Anne. "But I'd like to know whether you work in the media as I'm protective of my private life."

Anne and "Brad" began to message each other back and forth. It lasted a year and a half.

According to The Guardian, the scammer used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as AI image-creating technology to send selfies, poems, songs, and even a fake copy of Pitt's passport.

When the scammer told Anne he needed her to pay customs tariffs for gifts he had allegedly sent her, she transferred "Brad" nearly €10,000 (around $16,500 AUD). 

"There are so few men who write you this kind of thing," Anne said. "I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, it was always very well done."

But this was just the beginning. Things were about to get a whole lot worse for Anne.

The scammer told her he had developed kidney cancer and needed a loan, sending AI-generated images that appeared to be of Pitt in hospital. As for why an A-Lister couldn't afford to pay his own medical bills? The fake Brad told Anne that his bank accounts were locked due to his ongoing divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie.

The scammer used AI to create fake images of Brad Pitt in hospital to send to Anne. Image: X/@AlertesInfos

Anne — who had told the scammer she had recently divorced her wealthy entrepreneur husband — sent almost all of her €775,000 divorce settlement (around $1.2 million AUD) to help pay for the fake medical bills.

Then, headlines threatened to ruin the scammer's plan.

Brad Pitt and jewellery designer Ines de Ramon are "going strong".

Pitt and Ramon have been together since late 2022, following his divorce from Angelina Jolie — which was settled in December 2024, after an eight-year legal battle.

Ramon was formerly married to The Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley.

While the scammer had his denial ready to go, Anne eventually read more about Pitt and De Ramon's relationship. That's when she realised she had been swindled.

Since learning the truth, Anne has filed a lawsuit and a police inquiry has been opened. 

"I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this," she told TF1. "I've never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell."

The television outlet has since pulled the interview, after Anne received a "wave of harassment" online, according to The Times.

One of the social media accounts that mocked Anne was Toulouse Football Club, which wrote on X: "Hello Anne, Brad told us he would be at the stadium on Wednesday for Toulouse-Laval. And you?". They later withdrew the post and issued an apology.

Netflix France also saw an opportunity to leverage the story, promoting "four films to see with Brad Pitt (really) for free".

Others were more sympathetic towards the scam victim — who is currently being treated in hospital for depression — blaming the scammer for preying on a vulnerable woman going through a divorce.

As for the real Brad Pitt? A spokesperson for the actor addressed the scam in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.

"It's awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities," the statement said.

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

Feature Image: X/@AlertesInfos.