Anne Deneuchatel, a British divorcee, has shared how she was conned out of more than £700,000 by Nigerian fraudsters who used artificial intelligence to impersonate Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
The elaborate scheme saw scammers deploy AI-generated images and messages to convince her that she was in an online relationship with the movie star. Over time, she was manipulated into parting with hundreds of thousands of pounds under the false belief that she was helping him with personal and professional expenses.
Despite the devastating financial loss, Deneuchatel has described her divorce as one of the few positive outcomes that emerged from the ordeal. She said the experience forced her to rebuild her life from the ground up, reclaim her independence, and find her voice.
Now, she has turned her painful story into a book, documenting how she fell victim to the scam, the emotional toll it took, and the lessons she hopes others will learn from her journey.
Her case has once again highlighted the rising threat of romance fraud, particularly with the use of AI to create convincing impersonations of celebrities and public figures. Authorities continue to warn the public to remain vigilant against such sophisticated online scams.