Ligue 1 club issue public apology for mocking French woman who was scammed out of €830,000 by 'fake Brad Pitt'

A French woman, known only as Anne, has come in for widespread ridicule after appearing on national television to reveal how she lost her life savings after being part of a scam involving a "fake" Brad Pitt. Toulouse FC were quick to join in the general mockery with a post ahead of an upcoming Coupe de France fixture. The club posted on X: “Hello Anne, Brad told us he would be at the stadium on Wednesday for Toulouse-Laval. And you?” 

Anne had previously told French broadcaster TF1 that she had lost €830,000 (£700k) in savings after becoming convinced she was in a relationship with Hollywood star Pitt. The scam saw Anne scammed through the use of WhatsApp messages, AI pictures and other fake social media accounts as she ended up shelling out her life savings after being asked to pay for cancer treatment for Pitt. Anne only began to have suspicions when she heard about Pitt's engagement to girlfriend Ines de Ramon. 

A club offered an apology on X: "We understand that our tweet may have been misinterpreted, and we deeply apologise. We deeply regret if our words may have conveyed a negative message. Thank you for your feedback regarding this error. We are committed to exercising even greater care and discernment in the future.” 

TF1 ended up pulling the interview from all of their platforms after Anne received a barrage of harassment after it was aired.

After being scammed out of her life savings, Anne reportedly sold her furniture and moved in with a friend, according to TF1. She subsequently attempted suicide and has since been hospitalised with severe depression.