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A woman from France was tricked out of $850,000 by someone pretending to be the famous actor Brad Pitt. She believed she was in a relationship with him for 18 months.
The woman, named Anne, said she was first contacted by a person who claimed to be Brad Pitt's mother. They told her that Brad needed a woman like her. Then, someone who said they were Brad Pitt started messaging her. At first, Anne didn’t believe it, but the scammer convinced her.
The scammer asked Anne for money, saying Brad’s bank accounts were frozen because of a divorce with Angelina Jolie. Later, they asked for more money for treatment for cancer, even sending fake pictures of Brad in a hospital.
Anne got divorced from her husband and received about $800,000 in the divorce. She gave all of this money to the scammer.
When Brad Pitt made his relationship public in June 2024, Anne stopped talking to the scammer and told the police.
Brad Pitt’s team said it was awful and reminded people not to talk to actors online because they don’t have social media accounts. French police are investigating the case. Anne is sad and has little money left after the scam.
Some people online are laughing at Anne, but others are offering her support.
Questions:
When did Anne realize the scam and stop talking to the fake Brad Pitt?
What did Brad Pitt's team say about the scam?
What advice can we learn from this story?
Have you ever heard about people being scammed online? What happened?
Why do you think some people are laughing at Anne?
