"It's awful that scammers take advantage of the strong bond between fans and celebrities," a spokesperson for Pitt said in a statement to E! News.

"This is an important reminder not to respond to unsolicited online messages, especially from actors who are not present on social networks."

The 53-year-old interior designer, who identified herself as Anne, appeared on the French news program Seven to Eight.

She told the show she believed that she had been in an online relationship with Pitt for more than a year.

At the time Anne was married to a wealthy entrepreneur when she received a message from someone posing as Pitt’s mother.

The scammer used fake social media profiles and AI-generated photos to convince Anne that they were Pitt, even going so far as sharing a “copy” of Pitt’s passport.

The scammer then asked Anne for financial assistance for cancer treatment because his accounts had been frozen due to divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie.

Anne was divorcing her husband at the time and used settlement funds to give to the scammer, who had been sending her AI-generated pictures of Pitt in a hospital getting treatment.

Shortly after the funds were sent, Pitt publicised his relationship with Ines de Ramon at the Venice Film Festival.

Anne was forced to respond to backlash to the aired segment that she claims portrayed her as a cheater, telling Le Figaro newspaper that the “only thing we’re going to remember is that ‘Anne fell in love with a fake Brad Pitt.”

“Now, to begin with, I’ve never cheated on my husband in my life because I’m a caring woman, I’m not crazy or corny, as some people say or write on social networks.”

“I just wanted to help someone… and yes, I’ve been scammed. That’s why I came forward because I’m not the only one in this situation,” Anne said.