Brad Pitt's Rep Reminds Fans Actor Does Not Use Social Media After Catfished Fan Was Scammed Out of $800K
"This is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence," Brad Pitt's rep said
"This is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence," Brad Pitt's rep said
Brad Pitt's representatives are reminding fans the actor is not active on social media following reports that a French woman was scammed out of over $800,000 by someone who posed as Pitt.
"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," a spokesperson for the actor, 61, said in a statement.
U.K. paper The Times and French outlets AFP and BFM TV previously reported that the woman, identified only as Anne, spoke to French television outlet TF1, which has since removed the interview from its website.
Anne reportedly told the French station that she was first contacted online by someone claiming to be Pitt's mother saying, "It’s a woman like you that my son needs," The Times reported.
Though she initially doubted the messages' validity, Anne reportedly sent the fake Pitt roughly $800,000 after the person claimed he had developed kidney cancer and needed a loan.
"At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it's ridiculous," Anne told TF1, according to BFM TV. "But I'm not used to social media and I didn't really understand what was happening to me."
The woman was reportedly sent AI-generated images of Pitt's face superimposed over men lying in hospital beds.
When Anne read that Pitt was in a relationship with Ines De Ramon, the scammers reportedly sent something denying the reports. Eventually, The Times reported, Anne told TF1 that she read more about Pitt and De Ramon and accepted that she had been scammed.
Anne has since filed a lawsuit and a police inquiry has been opened, the outlets reported.
TF1 has since removed the interview, with The Times reporting that the outlet did so to protect her from a "wave of harassment" she has received online.
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This is the second time in recent months that Pitt's representatives have shared messages reminding fans that the Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood star does not use any social media.
Pitt's rep released a similar statement back on Sept. 25, 2024, after government officials in Spain announced that five people were arrested during an investigation into a "criminal organization" that allegedly defrauded over $350,000 from two women online. Those scammers also posed as a "fake Brad Pitt" to target fans of the actor, and promise future romantic relationships, authorities said at the time.
Spanish authorities arrested three suspects in November 2023 for receiving part of the money obtained from victims in the scheme, they said in a September press release.
Related: Brad Pitt Pops Bottles While Filming F1 Movie Scenes with Costar Javier Bardem
Pitt most recently appeared in a movie with the Apple TV+ film Wolfs alongside George Clooney. He will next appear on the big screen when his racing movie F1 releases in theaters June 27, 2025.