AI Pet Scam Victim Shares Warning Signs

0:00It's April 21st. Welcome in. This is California News Today, where local news meets AI. A North Oakland woman named Elisa Harrell has been searching for her missing French bull dog Dash since January 13th when he vanished right outside her home. Last week, she got a text from someone claiming to have found the two-year-old pup complete with a photo that looked just like him chilling on a rug. The text are quickly turned it into a money grab, saying they cared for Dash and wanted $300 for his return, $150 upfront via Cashap or Zell, the rest on delivery. Harrell pushed back, demanding a meet-up at the Emeryville Police Department first, which made her suspicious enough to pause. She posted the exchange on next door, and neighbors jumped in fast, spotting tell-tale AI signs like a weird diamond mark in the photo corner, turns out, scammers had doctored her own widely-shared image of Dash to fake proof he was safe. Fans from local-humane societies say these AI pet scans are exploding, using realistic

1:03fakes to hit desperate owners with urgent demands for. Bording fees are vet bills. Red flags include no in-person meet-ups, untraceable payments, and picks that seem off on close inspection. Harrell dodged the trap by verifying first, and now she's urging everyone to demand live video or public handoffs, report scams to police, and… What a mark-lost pet posts. Meanwhile, her hunt for Dash continues, hoping her story keeps others from falling for the same heartbreak.