A 53-year-old French woman, identified as Anne, has faced overwhelming mockery and online harassment after revealing that she was defrauded of €830,000 (approximately $850,000) by scammers using the identity of actor Brad Pitt. The disturbing case highlights the dangers of romance fraud amplified by advanced technology, including deepfakes and sophisticated impersonation tactics.

Anne's plight drew national attention after she participated in the TF1 channel's "Seven to Eight" program, where she explained her ordeal of believing she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star. The scammers initially contacted her by impersonating Pitt's mother, leading to extensive interactions over social media. The fraudulent Pitt claimed that his bank accounts were frozen amid his divorce from actress Angelina Jolie and needed funds for kidney treatment, prompting Anne to wire substantial amounts of money.

In the aftermath of Anne's televised confession, she was subjected to a barrage of mockery across social media platforms, with notable posts from Netflix France and Toulouse Football Club poking fun at her misfortune. This led TF1 to withdraw the segment to protect Anne from the ensuing cyberbullying, as stated by presenter Harry Roselmack on his X account. "The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness," he wrote.

As Anne expressed her desperation, stating, "These people deserve hell," a spokesperson for Pitt condemned the scammers, saying, "It is awful that scammers take advantage of fans' strong connection with celebrities." The spokesperson reiterated the importance of ignoring unverified online outreach, particularly from actors who do not maintain social media profiles.

This incident is symptomatic of a larger trend, as experts warn that artificial intelligence has heightening risks associated with identity theft and online scams. In 2023 alone, romance scams have seen a dramatic increase, with victims in the U.S. losing over $1 billion to fraudsters.

Anne's heart-wrenching story serves as a cautionary tale about the increasingly sophisticated means employed by online fraudsters and underscores the necessity for vigilance against scams in an era where technology continues to advance rapidly.

For more on this harrowing situation, check out the original reports by BBC, CBS News, HuffPost, and South China Morning Post.