Scammers Used AI Image of Missing Puppy to Solicit Fraudulent Payment

# Scammers Used AI Image of Missing Puppy to Solicit Fraudulent Payment

https://gcdradar.vercel.app/incidents/scammers-used-ai-image-of-missing-puppy-to-solicit-fraudulen · AIR-2026-0406 · closed 2026-02-03

- Lane: Breaches & attacks
- Severity: 3 (Confirmed exploitation)
- Fix status: No fix needed
- First reported: 2026-01-20
- AI role: AI-enabled attack
- Products: Zelle

## Summary

Scammers used an AI-altered image of a missing puppy and impersonated staff to convince a couple to pay for emergency surgery. The fraudulent payment was flagged and stopped.

## What to do

No action recorded; read the sources below and the vendor's advisory.

## Latest updates

- 2026-01-20: Scammers Reportedly Used AI-Generated Image of Missing Puppy Hazel to Solicit Fraudulent Vet Payment from St. Petersburg, Florida Couple (https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/1477)

## Sources

- 2026-01-20 AI Incident Database: Scammers Reportedly Used AI-Generated Image of Missing Puppy Hazel to Solicit Fraudulent Vet Payment from St. Petersburg, Florida Couple https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/1477

Verify against the vendor's advisory before changing production. Data CC BY-SA 4.0, https://gcdradar.vercel.app.