Guelph Police After another local case of lost pet terror, they are raising alarms regarding the use of artificial intelligence.
It was Thursday that officials were contacted by pet owners who believed they were targeted by scammers in the Pet Fear Tor scheme.
Police said the man made several posts online trying to find the lost cat, but only got contacted by someone who said he had found the animal. The contact said they would only return the lost cats for $300.
The victim allegedly sent the suspect to $50, but only receives an AI-generated photo of the lost pet along with a request for further payment. The victim refused and called on Guelph police to report the crime.
Officials should note that they were contacted in the same way as last Sunday. In a similar case involving a Brantford woman, the woman lost her dog and eventually sent an electronic transfer of $100 to the individual. In that case, the contact once again asked for more money, but the woman is said to have found her missing dog.
It is unknown whether the two incidents are connected.
Guelph police have expressed concern that this style of fraud could become more common as AI technology continues to advance in creating realistic looking images.
“The owner of a lost pet should be extremely cautious if he receives such a message, even if it appears to be accompanied by a photo of the pet,” reads a release from Guelph Police.
Investigation of these cases is still underway – anyone with information will be asked to contact the police or Crime Stopper.
