Most of us are obsessed with our favorite celebrities. Sometimes, some of us go too far – from sending overly expensive gifts to getting tattoos to celebrate our idols. But in this digital age, where we are surrounded by all kinds of cyber threats, scammers are now targeting the celebrity-obsessed crowd. The latest victim of such a scam is 53-year-old French interior designer Anne. He suffered a loss of around Rs 7.5 crore after he got caught in a romance scam involving a fake account imitating Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. Also, the DMs she received from this “Brad Pitt” probably expedited her divorce proceedings, which she was already a part of before the scammers targeted her.

The scandal began when Anne received an Instagram message from a profile named “Jane Etta Pitt”, claiming to be Brad Pitt’s mother. The scammers began chatting with Anne and told her that “Jen” wanted to set her up with her son Brad, who had reportedly recently divorced Angelina Jolie. For Anne, it was more than a dream come true.

Soon, another fake account claiming to be Brad Pitt himself messaged Anne. Since she was also going through a divorce, she was already emotionally vulnerable and after Brad Pitt’s mother proposed to her, she started fantasizing about life with the Hollywood heartthrob. Shortly thereafter Anne becomes involved in a romantic conversation with the impersonator. To make the relationship appear genuine, the fraudsters also sent her love messages, AI-generated videos of “Brad Pitt” talking to her, and other reassuring gestures.

Scammers take advantage of a bad relationship

Anne, who was emotionally vulnerable due to her ongoing divorce from her millionaire husband, is drawn into a deep web. The fraudsters took advantage of her emotional state by building trust through repeated affectionate messages. Although Anne never spoke to the real Brad Pitt on the phone, his constant messaging on social media led her to believe that the relationship was real.

Meanwhile, to further strengthen the illusion, the scammers claimed to send Anne expensive gifts from luxury brands like Chanel and Hermes. They then asked him to pay 9,000 euros – approximately Rs 8 lakh – as customs duty to receive the goods. And Anne paid for it. Once Anne was completely trapped, the fraudsters started asking her for more money. She fabricated a story about Brad Pitt needing money for kidney cancer treatment and claimed that his bank accounts were frozen because of his fictitious divorce from Angelina Jolie.

The scammers also sent AI-generated photos of Brad Pitt, showing him in a hospital bed, to further manipulate Anne. Believing that she was helping her celebrity boyfriend, Anne sent 850,000 Euros, or approximately Rs 7.5 crore. When Anne saw real photos of Brad Pitt with his current partner Ines de Ramon, she realized she had been scammed. By then, his life savings were gone.

Romance scams are on the rise

Although Anne’s story has made headlines, this is not an isolated case. Romance scams involving fake celebrity profiles – and many using Brad Pitt’s name – are on the rise. For example, in another reported case in September 2023, Spanish authorities arrested five persons for defrauding two women of 325,000 euros – approximately Rs 3 crore. These scammers posed as Brad Pitt on WhatsApp and targeted victims through fan pages dedicated to the actor. In this scam too, the scammers use similar tactics including emotional manipulation and fabricated stories to extort money from the victims.

Although romance scams are nothing new and we have seen cases of people being duped because of their alleged love affairs they found on the internet, now with advanced technology like artificial intelligence the scams are becoming more sophisticated, concrete and difficult to get away with. Scammers are using AI-generated content such as realistic images, videos and voice simulations to create highly credible personas to deceive their targets.

how to protect yourself

If these scams are so well-connected and even professionals are falling into them, how can you stay safe?

Well, be an online skeptic. You see, making friends and lovers online is becoming a trend. However, due to this increased digital footprint, scammers are now impersonating themselves. So if you’re talking to a new friend online or an unknown person approaches you – be suspicious. If you receive unsolicited messages from people claiming to be celebrities or their associates, cross-check the profiles and verify their authenticity through official sources.

Apart from this, never send money to strangers. More importantly, never transfer money to someone you have not met in person, no matter their story or urgency. And to keep your bank account safe, don’t share sensitive details that could be used for manipulation or extortion.

If you suspect that you are being targeted, report the incident to the relevant authorities and the platform you use for communication. This will help others to stay safe.