Man receives video of his truck being attacked and then being asked for cash, which turns out to be an AI-generated scam
- A Michigan man obtained a fake video of his truck being attacked by a stranger.
- They then demanded money, but the footage appeared to be AI-generated.
- The video may have used Google Street View to mimic the view of a driveway.
Big tech is trying to cram artificial intelligence down our throats, but many people don’t care. Unfortunately, the AI has found an audience, but it is reported to be a scammer.
According to Michigan State Police, a resident recently received a text message from a WhatsApp number that contained a disturbing video. The footage showed the man’s driveway and truck being attacked by “multiple subjects.” Details were unclear, but authorities said the group appeared to be slashing the car’s tires.
Read more: Scammers continue to trick dealers into loading six-figure cars into the wrong trucks.
The person who sent the video then demanded $500, which would have stopped the attack. But something wasn’t right, leading potential victims to believe the video might have been created using AI. As a result, they did not send the money and called the police.
Officers responded and searched the area but “found no evidence that anyone was at the scene.” The vehicle was also inspected and no damage was found.
With this in mind, Michigan State Police believe this incident was an “attempted fraud attempt that used manipulated and AI-generated content to blackmail victims into sending money.” It also urged people to report similar messages to the police and not to “send money, click on links or respond to unsolicited messages.”
It’s alarming that the scammers clearly knew where their victims lived and the vehicle they drove, but it’s also possible they simply looked up the addresses on Google Street View. Of course, he still seemed to know a lot about the person, including his phone number.
