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Last September, Stephanie Young’s beloved cat Buddy disappeared from her garden. In response, she reached out extensively to pet rescue sites and social media communities, sharing details and photos in hopes of locating him. Her spirits lifted when a woman named Melissa contacted her with a picture, claiming to have been feeding Buddy and asking for a reward to benefit her autistic grandchildren. Convinced she had found her pet, Stephanie prepared to meet Melissa, feeling relieved that Buddy seemed safe in a pleasant garden.
However, the meeting never happened. Melissa declined a cash payment and instead insisted on receiving 100 Apple gift cards. Soon after, Stephanie discovered the images she was sent were artificially generated with AI technology. Upon questioning Melissa’s credibility, she began receiving alarming threats, including intentions to harm or sell Buddy. Sadly, Stephanie’s experience is not unique. More pet owners are falling prey to scams where fraudsters exploit AI-generated images and fabricated stories to manipulate grieving owners into sending large sums of money under duress.
In another case, Cam Chauhan from Wednesbury faced a similar ordeal when her cat Creed went missing in July. Approximately nine months later, she was sent a strikingly realistic photo of Creed in a garden, accompanied by a demand for a £200 Apple gift card. Initially overwhelmed with hope, Cam almost rushed out to retrieve her cat. However, her children cautioned her about the potential for fraud, which led to postponing any payment. The scammer refused to meet unless the gift cards were provided first, leaving Cam heartbroken and waiting for a resolution that never came.
Sarah Robinson from Northampton also encountered this distressing scam. Two weeks after her cat Cookie disappeared, she received contact from a man named Kherson H, who claimed to have Cookie and sent images purporting to show her cat outside a window. Although the man’s descriptions were vague and inconsistent during their phone conversations, Sarah held onto hope until Kherson demanded an enormous sum of £40,000 to return Cookie. Refusing to pay, she was then threatened with harm to her pet, which caused her significant distress. Across these stories, all victims reported the incidents to the City of London Police’s Report Fraud service, which advises verifying sightings of missing pets in person before giving any money. Experts warn that AI-fueled scams are becoming more common and that owners should remain cautious, gather evidence, and report suspicious activity promptly
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