A Deltona family is warning other pet owners after scammers allegedly used artificial intelligence-generated photos of their missing dog on an operating table in an attempt to steal thousands of dollars.Bill Cosens said he and his wife were at a hockey game Saturday night when a few of their dogs escaped from the backyard. While the other dogs returned, Cosens said their dog Archer was nowhere to be found.”We drive. We’re calling his name two and a half hours. We went probably every road in a two-mile radius,” Cosens said.After posting photos of Archer online along with their phone number, Cosens said the couple received a call from a number with a 380 area code.”They describe Archer to a T. And so, we’re like, ‘OK, where is he? We’ll come get him.’ And they said, ‘Well, unfortunately, he’s been hit by a car,'” Cosens said.Cosens said the caller told them Archer needed emergency surgery immediately for a dislocated shoulder and a broken femur and that they would not be able to see him. When Cosens’ wife asked for a photo, the caller obliged, sending what appeared to be an image of Archer lying on an operating table with two veterinarians over him.”When you’re in that moment, you don’t realize it’s an AI picture, because you look at the face and you see the face and see it’s Archer’s face,” Cosens said.He said the caller then asked for a payment of $2,746 and said it could be paid via Zelle, Apple Pay, or PayPal. That’s when Cosens said his wife grew suspicious.”She said, ‘What vet takes Zelle?’ Not a legitimate one. And she said, ‘Why can’t we see him first? That doesn’t make any sense,'” Cosens said.The couple took a closer look at the photos and noticed several red flags. He said a second image supposedly taken after the surgery showed a date of 2022 on the monitor. Archer’s collar in the photo was also a different color than the one he had been wearing. Cosens said the address the caller provided for the supposed veterinary office turned out to be Deltona City Hall.”It never, never would have crossed our mind that somebody would be trying to scam us at our lowest point,” Cosens said.The couple never paid the scammers and filed a report with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.Cosens said their neighbor later told them he saw someone take Archer the night he disappeared and saw that same person return him Thursday morning. “We’re super thankful that I got great neighbors, super thankful that I’ve got my dog back, super thankful I didn’t pay $2,700 for a scam,” Cosens said.Archer is back home but still recovering from the ordeal.”He’s physically, emotionally, mentally just worn out,” Cosens said.The case remains under investigation, and deputies are working on additional leads, according to the sheriff’s office. Cosens urged other pet owners to be cautious if they ever receive a similar call about a missing pet.”Any legitimate place is going to let you come down and see your dog,” he said. “Anybody that says, ‘No, you can’t come down here now, we can’t take payment face to face,’ is scamming you.”
DELTONA, Fla. —
A Deltona family is warning other pet owners after scammers allegedly used artificial intelligence-generated photos of their missing dog on an operating table in an attempt to steal thousands of dollars.
Bill Cosens said he and his wife were at a hockey game Saturday night when a few of their dogs escaped from the backyard. While the other dogs returned, Cosens said their dog Archer was nowhere to be found.
“We drive. We’re calling his name [for] two and a half hours. We went [down] probably every road in a two-mile radius,” Cosens said.
After posting photos of Archer online along with their phone number, Cosens said the couple received a call from a number with a 380 area code.
“They describe Archer to a T. And so, we’re like, ‘OK, where is he? We’ll come get him.’ And they said, ‘Well, unfortunately, he’s been hit by a car,'” Cosens said.
Cosens said the caller told them Archer needed emergency surgery immediately for a dislocated shoulder and a broken femur and that they would not be able to see him. When Cosens’ wife asked for a photo, the caller obliged, sending what appeared to be an image of Archer lying on an operating table with two veterinarians over him.
“When you’re in that moment, you don’t realize it’s an AI picture, because you look at the face and you see the face and see it’s Archer’s face,” Cosens said.
He said the caller then asked for a payment of $2,746 and said it could be paid via Zelle, Apple Pay, or PayPal. That’s when Cosens said his wife grew suspicious.
“She said, ‘What vet takes Zelle?’ Not a legitimate one. And she said, ‘Why can’t we see him first? That doesn’t make any sense,'” Cosens said.
The couple took a closer look at the photos and noticed several red flags. He said a second image supposedly taken after the surgery showed a date of 2022 on the monitor. Archer’s collar in the photo was also a different color than the one he had been wearing. Cosens said the address the caller provided for the supposed veterinary office turned out to be Deltona City Hall.
“It never, never would have crossed our mind that somebody would be trying to scam us at our lowest point,” Cosens said.
The couple never paid the scammers and filed a report with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Cosens said their neighbor later told them he saw someone take Archer the night he disappeared and saw that same person return him Thursday morning.
“We’re super thankful that I got great neighbors, super thankful that I’ve got my dog back, [and] super thankful I didn’t pay $2,700 for a scam,” Cosens said.
Archer is back home but still recovering from the ordeal.
“He’s physically, emotionally, mentally just worn out,” Cosens said.
The case remains under investigation, and deputies are working on additional leads, according to the sheriff’s office.
Cosens urged other pet owners to be cautious if they ever receive a similar call about a missing pet.
“Any legitimate place is going to let you come down and see your dog,” he said. “Anybody that says, ‘No, you can’t come down here now, we can’t take payment face to face,’ is scamming you.”