AI Brad Pitt Scam Tricks Woman Out of $850K!

With AI becoming increasingly capable of mimicking human behavior, it’s hardly shocking that it’s now a tool for con artists. A report by The Express reveals a shocking scam where a 53-year-old French woman, known as “Anne” during her interview with French channel TF1, lost 830,000 euros ($851,355) to a fraudster impersonating Brad Pitt using AI-generated images. Over two years, Anne was duped into believing that “Brad” required the funds for his cancer treatment.

The methods used by the scammer were sophisticated, extending beyond mere AI-created photos and videos. They established a deep text-based relationship with Anne, which involved sending her poetry (likely AI-created as well) and eventually concocting a story about suffering from kidney cancer, supported by AI-manufactured photos. Although these images could potentially be replicated using advanced photo-editing software like Photoshop, employing AI can streamline this process significantly.

One significant oversight by Anne was ignoring the absence of any live phone conversations, a common warning sign in such scams. However, even if she had noticed this red flag, simulating a voice call is not beyond the capabilities of AI technologies used by scammers today.

Additionally, cybercriminals are finding new ways to leverage AI, such as committing wire fraud on music streaming services using bots and creating spam that includes illegal and inflammatory content for phishing emails and malicious advertisements. While AI has not drastically altered the landscape of spam and cybercrime, it has certainly enhanced the speed and efficiency with which these malicious activities can be carried out.

Tragically, Anne only realized she was the victim of an intricate online scam when she saw her supposed celebrity boyfriend alive and well with a new partner on television, around two years after she had given away the money. Despite reporting the incident to the authorities, she was unable to recover any of the lost funds, much of which came from a divorce settlement with her wealthy ex-husband. This detail likely emboldened the scammer to pursue such an elaborate deception.