One French woman has been scammed out of $850,000 after becoming convinced that she was dating Brad Pitt, as it turned out the Hollywood movie star was actually just an extortionist taking advantage of AI generated imagery.
Scams have increased exponentially with the rise of the internet, and with advancements in artificial intelligence technology it's become even more challenging for vulnerable individuals to stay safe online.
From Gmail hacks that show you where you live to fake QR codes that lead to nefarious websites, there are countless methods that you need to be aware of in order to avoid extortion online - but one woman unfortunately became a victim of an elaborate scam with AI at the heart.
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As reported by BFM TV, one French woman - known by her first name Anne - parted way with around $850,000 after involving herself in a scam that utilized AI generated images and videos of Brad Pitt to convince the victim that she was in a relationship with the actor.
She initially received a message from Pitt's 'mother' on Facebook, before receiving another from the scammer posing as Pitt himself shortly after, and this led the pair to become romantically involved.
While you might think that messages aren't enough - and the scammer did restrict all communication to text messages, claiming that he was never available to talk over the phone - generative AI tools were used in order to make the scam more convincing.
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The woman was sent a string of videos and photos involving Brad Pitt in order to 'prove' that she was indeed talking to the movie star, and eventually the scam began.
The first successful attempt for money involved a supposed $9,000 customs fee that the fake Pitt required Anne to pay, as he said that he was sending her expensive gifts.
This then led to a marriage proposal from Pitt to the woman, which prompted her to leave her husband and receive close to $800,000 in a divorce settlement.
Following this, the scammer then claimed that Pitt had to undertake emergency kidney cancer treatment, and he couldn't afford it himself due to the ongoing divorce settlement with Angelina Jolie.
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He provided AI generated images of Pitt in a hospital bed and undergoing treatment, and this left Anne in a situation where she sent a significant portion of her money to the scammer to support the medical procedures.
It was only until Anne saw Pitt in public with Ines de Ramon, his current girlfriend, that she realized that her relationship was a fabrication, and this has now left her in a clinic receiving treatment for severe depression as an investigation remains ongoing.
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Many have reacted to the news on social media, finding humor in the rather ridiculous fake images of Pitt while also offering little sympathy for Anne's unfortunate situation.
"Amazing that someone who has 830,000 Euro in the bank can be that naive," remarks one user on Reddit, with another adding that "being so naive and so wealthy at the same time is beyond my understanding."
It goes to show how easy it is for some to be swept up in the chaos of an elaborate scam though, and with advancements in AI it is only going to get harder for many to discern between reality and lies.