French woman defrauded of $850,000 by AI deepfake impersonating Brad Pitt in romance scam

Summary

A French woman identified as Anne was defrauded of approximately $850,000 after scammers used AI-generated deepfake images and video to impersonate actor Brad Pitt over an extended online relationship. The scammers, known as 'Yahoo Boys,' fabricated a romantic relationship and then claimed Pitt needed money for kidney treatment but could not access funds due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie. Anne, who was going through her own divorce and had received a settlement, transferred the funds before the scam was exposed when Pitt publicly debuted a relationship with Ines de Ramon at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. Brad Pitt later condemned the fraudsters publicly for exploiting the bond between celebrities and fans.