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Scammers create fake AI images of missing pets in UK to extort reward money from owners
The scammers often pose as law enforcement officials or members of animal hospitals.
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Scammers have found a dangerous new way to use generative AI, using the technology to prey on people desperately searching for lost pets. By manipulating photos from social media, scammers are generating realistic fake images of lost dogs and cats to trick desperate families into believing their beloved pets have been found. The perpetrators build immediate emotional panic, demanding fast ransom payments and threatening harm to the animal if owners hesitate or refuse to pay.
How are the scams carried out?
The scammers contact distraught owners with realistic but AI-generated pictures of their missing pets, the BBC reported. They then talk with the owners about the pets to create an emotional rapport. Once that is done, the fraudsters often fabricate an emergency and ask families for money.
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If the owners refuse, they threaten to kill the pets. However, if the owners agree to pay, they set a date and time for a meeting but don’t turn up. The scammers put pressure on the pet owners to make a payment through gift cards or cryptocurrency to get their pets back.
One such person, Cam Chauhan, who almost became a victim of the scam, told the BBC that she received a picture of her cat, Creed, who went missing last July. "I started crying, grabbed my cat bag from the garage and said, 'let's go get my cat back,'" she said.
However, her daughters raised concerns about the pictures, indicating they could be fake. Still, she went to the meeting place where the person who allegedly found her cat asked her to come. However, the scammer refused to meet her and demanded gift cards.
"We just went back home. It was very upsetting," Chauhan said. "I've been waiting ever since." She later filed a complaint with Report Fraud, a section run by London Police.
How to spot and avoid pet scams?
In a blog post shared in June, the USA’s Federal Trade Commission listed ways by which pet lovers can spot and avoid scams involving manipulated pet images, videos, and AI-generated deepfakes.
The scammers often impersonate animal hospitals or law enforcement and ask owners to pay for an emergency involving their pets using cryptocurrency, gift cards, or payment apps.
The scammers can create fake websites to upload stolen or AI-generated images of pets claiming they need “forever homes” and ask for donations from those interested. It is advisable to do online research about the organisation, conduct a reverse image search and to check whether the pictures were created using AI.
The organisation warned, “Scammers want you to think you won a prize because you previously donated to help animals. The name of the prize or organization might sound real but it’s another lie. If you have to pay to collect a prize or sweepstakes winnings, you know it’s a scam.”
