PHOENIX — If your pet gets lost, it’s already heartbreaking, but now, scammers may be using artificial intelligence to target owners desperate to find them.
A post on a Scottsdale neighborhood app caught ABC15’s attention after a woman said someone contacted her claiming to have her missing dog. She told ABC15 the person even sent what appeared to be an AI-generated photo of the dog before asking for money. That woman was safely reunited with her dog later, without falling for a scam.
Yet she is not the only Valley pet owner who says she’s been targeted.
An orange tabby named Skeeter is home now, but last year, he was missing for eight months.
“I posted my cat every two weeks for eight months straight,” Skeeter’s owner, who does not want to be identified, told ABC15. “There's part of me that died I'll never get back. It was so heartbreaking. I was so depressed because he's my little boy. I love him.”
During that search, Skeeter’s owner says someone contacted her claiming they had found him.
Then, she says, they demanded money.
“They basically just pull at your heartstrings. It's torture,” she said.
She asked the person for proof. The photo they sent looked similar to Skeeter, but she says a reverse image search revealed it was a stock photo.
With artificial intelligence now capable of generating increasingly realistic images, personal finance expert Kimberly Palmer with NerdWallet says pet owners need to be especially cautious.
“It can be very convincing whenever you see an AI-generated photo,” Palmer said. “It looks like the real thing, and it can be almost impossible to tell the difference between a fake photo and a real one.”
Palmer says with AI making fake images more convincing, a photo alone may no longer be enough proof.
“It can be helpful for consumers just to get familiar with how AI-generated audio, video, and photos work, just to help us be more skeptical of anything presented to us, especially when someone is reaching out to you and you can't really verify who they are," Palmer said.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell says scammers can capitalize on the emotions of someone desperate to find their pet.
“AI has changed the game in terms of frauds,” Mitchell said. “With any fraud, two of the things that we see most often are fear and urgency. You're in both of those situations right then.”
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Mitchell recommends slowing down before acting and bringing in someone else who may be able to spot red flags.
“You may not be thinking clearly because you want to get your loved pet, beloved pet back,” Mitchell said. “So having a friend saying, ‘I don't think this is really a real picture.’ You know, having that second set of eyes would be helpful.”
Skeeter’s owner also suggests keeping some unique details about your pet off social media and missing-pet flyers.
“That's your secret weapon,” she said. “Always ask for some identifying mark. Never just automatically hand money over. Ask a lot of questions.”
It’s advice from someone who kept looking for eight months, and finally got Skeeter home.
Mitchell says anyone who believes they have been defrauded should report it to police. Those reports can help authorities identify emerging scams and warn others.
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