Editor's view: When scams become a laughing matter

The editor's Friday Night Takeaway from 17 January

Jen Frost
clock • 5 min read

Earlier this week, it was widely reported that French broadcaster TF1 took down a programme with a segment on a woman who lost €830,000 to scammers.

The victim in question, who faced public ridicule after appearing on the show, had been tricked into thinking she was in a long-distance relationship with Brad Pitt. The furore again highlights an issue that helps scammers thrive and keeps authorities and victims in the dark: shame and blame. The woman in the highly publicised Brad Pitt case was reportedly married to a wealthy entrepreneur when she was targeted. She spent a year and a half talking to ‘Brad' who blamed his divorce for frozen bank accounts. ‘He' even sent images (these were AI generated) of himself in a hospital bed fac...

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