A heartless scammer used fake AI images in an attempt to extort $300 from a teenager desperate to find her missing cat. Sarah, 18, reached out to members of a local Facebook group and put up posters after her beloved cat Cinda disappeared in Kingsford, Sydney, on May 5. The student received a text five days later from someone who claimed to have found Cinda and attached photos of her in a car and on a sofa as supposed proof.
'I just knew it wasn't her,' Sarah said. The scammer, who used the fake email address stvndesai@gmail.com, claimed they had spotted Cinda while driving home from work and had picked her up. 'I have already picked her up and she is at home with me,' they wrote. Sarah offered to drive to their place to pick Cinda up, but they refused, instead asking to meet up at an Asian grocery store nearby.
Despite suspecting the photos were AI, she still decided to meet up with the mystery sender with her mother as back up, hoping she was wrong. Cinda has discolouration in one of her eyes and doesn't wear a collar. The scammer, who never showed up to the store, then asked to be compensated for 'spending their last buck' on Cinda and they agreed to $200 in cash. But the sender backtracked, saying they wanted part of the money as a voucher.
'I want you get me an Apple Card of $100, and I will be here waiting outside to exchange it with you and take rest in cash,' they said. 'If you can't do that, then you can just go back home because I won't release the cat. I need to proof you won't call cops.' Sarah said she would hand over $300 in cash if she was able to see Cinda first. But the scammer refused. After going back-and-forth, the scammer finally told Sarah they were going to sell the cat because they felt she 'didn't want it anymore'.
Cinda, who has discolouration in one of her eyes, doesn't wear a collar and has sparse white fur on her neck, is still missing. The pair went back and forth for 24 hours. Sarah warned other pet owners to be wary of anonymous messages. 'This was a scam, please be cautious of AI photos,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Please be cautious if you receive messages from this address or anyone making similar claims.'
Aussies were quick to sympathise with her situation. 'That's a sinister thing to do, hope you find your kitty,' one said. Sarah has reported the incident to both police and Scamwatch. A National Anti-Scam Centre spokesman said scams involving cats were common. 'The most common cat scams reported to Scamwatch involve criminals advertising cats or kittens for sale to steal money from people looking to adopt,' he said. 'Never pay money to someone who claims to have your pet.' He said Scamwatch was aware of criminals using AI-generated images to attempt to steal money or personal information from consumers. 'Criminals are using technology to reach more people than ever before, and scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder for people to detect,' he said.
