A 50-year-old woman from France was duped by a scammer impersonating Brad Pitt. At first, she received a message on Instagram named “Brad Pitt’s Mother.” 

The message is written as:

Brad Pitt is impressed with your work; he wants to communicate with you.

Anne was shocked to see the message, but she replied. The next day, Brad Pitt sent the message by himself with a selfie, a video, and an updated set. Everything was looking so real that Anne though

t he was a famous Hollywood celebrity. Gradually, they started talking with each other every day, and one day he told Anne:

“You are my soulmate. I want to marry you.”

After this, the real fraud started

1. First time he said that he sent a special gift, but he is facing a problem with filling the customs charges.
2. The second time, he said that he has kidney cancer and he needs some money.
3. And then said, Hollywood management blocked his account, and he cannot make any payment; he is stuck.

Anne started believing in his love, and she started sending money to him.

After some months, Anne has sent almost €830,000 to different accounts. But it’s been late until they realised that they had been scammed.

This is not stupidity. It’s emotional cheating.

• Loneliness and emotional weakness make a person weak
• Scammers first win the heart of the victim by praising and giving enough time to them.
• And they say, don’t tell anyone about our relationship
• Then they take out the money in the name of duty, love, and trust.

Now these fraudsters also send fake photos, videos, and voice notes using AI and Deepfake technology, which look real.

Brad Pitt Romance Scam

How to identify such online romance scams

1. Suddenly in love? Be suspicious!

       A Hollywood star is following you – it feels nice to know, but in reality, it’s an illusion(fake).

2. Money talk? Say no directly!

        If someone asks you for money for a gift, for illness, or for travel, be careful.

3. Avoiding a video call? Means something is off.

        If he is trying to video call every time, then that means something is off.

4.  Emotional Blackmail

        He will say, “If you love me, then trust in me”. It’s an old strategy of scammers.

5. Search the Photos on Google Image Search

        Sometimes their photos are of real celebrities. A Google reverse image search can reveal the truth.

How to save yourself from such scams

• Before sending money to anyone, take advice from someone.
• Don’t make any decision in a hurry – think first and then research it.
• Report it on the platform (Facebook, Instagram) you are talking on.
• Report it to the cybercrime cell.
• Use tools like Bitfinder Scamio, which can detect fake scams.