A French woman who was scammed out of nearly £700,000 by an imposter posing as Brad Pitt has fallen victim to another fraudster, this time pretending to be Keanu Reeves.
The woman, named Anne, was tricked into a fake romance with the Fight Club star, with the scammer claiming to be battling cancer and in need of financial assistance. Anne, who was going through a difficult divorce at the time, admitted to being “swept off her feet” by the imposter, who showered her with love poems and promises.
“There are very few men who write you this kind of thing. I liked the man I was talking to. He knew how to talk to women, he always did it very well,” Anne told French television.
However, the scammer, who is believed to be part of a Nigerian-based group, ultimately conned Anne out of a significant portion of her life savings.
“It wasn’t easy, but we found him,” said Marwan Ouarab, the founder of Find My Scammer, who tracked down the fraudster. “It’s a small group of three or four young people,” he told French outlet 20 Minutes. “He’s still active, now pretending to be Keanu Reeves.”
Ouarab warned that the scammer remains a threat and urged people to be extremely cautious of unsolicited online messages, especially from celebrities.
Read more: Lee Byung-hun: From Hollywood Action Hero to Squid Game’s Global Star
Pitt’s representatives issued a statement condemning the scam, emphasizing that the actor does not have any social media accounts. “It’s awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities,” the statement read. “This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks.”
