Brad Pitt scammer dupes fan out of $850K

A scammer posing as Brad Pitt has persuaded a French woman to hand over $850K for medical treatment.

A French woman has been defrauded of $850,000 (£695,000) by a social media scammer posing as Brad Pitt.

The romance scam, which played out over more than a year, saw the interior designer hand over her life savings after she was duped into believing Pitt was sick in the hospital.

As reported by TV network France 24, the scammer convinced her that Pitt was in need of funds to help pay for a kidney treatment, telling her he couldn't access his bank accounts due to his years-long bitter divorce from Angelina Jolie.

The victim explained to the outlet the charade began when someone pretending to be Pitt's mother contacted her.

"At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it's ridiculous," she recalled. "But I'm not used to social media and I didn't really understand what was happening to me."

Ultimately, she went on to divorce her husband with the intention to finally be together with Pitt in person.

She realised she had been deceived by scammers after she saw reports of Pitt's ongoing relationship with Ines de Ramon.