AI incident #1478 · 12 April 2026

Scammers Reportedly Used AI-Generated Images of Missing Dog Archer to Solicit Fraudulent Vet Payment from Deltona, Florida Family

Open on the AI Incident Database 2 news reports Snapshot 7 Sep 2026

What happened

Scammers reportedly used AI-generated images of Archer, a missing beagle mix in Deltona, Florida, on an operating table after owner Bill Cosens posted about the dog on social media. A caller allegedly claimed Archer had been hit by a vehicle and needed $2,800 in emergency surgery. Cosens grew suspicious after checking the supposed veterinary clinic address, sent no money, and Archer was later returned safely.

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News reports (2)

Coverage catalogued by the AI Incident Database. Titles link to the original publisher; the text is not reproduced here.

17 Apr 2026
Florida family warns of AI scam targeting owners of missing pets
fox13news.com · Kailey Tracy · AIID #7184
19 Apr 2026
Family reunites with dog after alleged scammer used AI photos to try to extort $2,700
uppermichiganssource.com · WKMG Staff via CNN Newsource · AIID #7185

Who was involved

Alleged deployer: Scammers
Alleged developer: Image Generation Technology Developers
Alleged harmed party: People Searching For Missing Pets, Epistemic Integrity, Cosens Family, Bill Cosens

Classification (MIT AI Risk Repository taxonomy)

Risk domain: Malicious Actors & Misuse
Risk subdomain: 4.3 Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
Causal entity: Human
Intent: Intentional
Timing: Post-deployment
Harm level: —
Sectors: —
Countries: —

Risk entries describing this failure mode

Entries from the MIT AI Risk Repository coded to subdomain 4.3.

Impersonation/identity theft
"Impersonation/identity theft - Theft of an individual, group or organisation’s identity by a third-party in order to defraud, mock or otherwise harm them."
A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)
IP/copyright loss
"IP/copyright loss - Misuse or abuse of an individual or organisation’s intellectual property, including copyright, trademarks, and patents."
A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)
Dehumanisation/objectification
"Dehumanisation/objectification - Use or misuse of a technology system to depict and/or treat people as not human, less than human, or as objects."
A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)
Defamation/libel/slander
"Defamation/libel/slander - Use of a technology system to create, facilitate or amplify false perception(s) about an individual, group, or organisation."
A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)
Financial and business
"Financial and Business - Use or misuse of a technology system in a manner that damages the financial interests of an individual or group, or which causes strategic, operational, legal or financial harm to a business or...
A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)
Cheating/plagiarism
"Cheating/plagiarism - Use of another person’s or group’s words or ideas without consent and/or acknowledgement."
A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024)
Cybersecurity
"LLMs may exacerbate cybersecurity risks in various ways (Newman, 2024). Firstly, LLMs may significantly amplify the effectiveness of deceptive operations aimed at tricking people into disclosing sensitive information or...
Foundational Challenges in Assuring Alignment and Safety of Large Language Models (Anwar2024)
Domain-Specific Misuses
"Improvements in LLMs may exert greater pressure to apply LLMs to various domains, such as health and education (Eloundou et al., 2023). Crude efforts to use LLMs in such domains, however, may incur harm and should be di...
Foundational Challenges in Assuring Alignment and Safety of Large Language Models (Anwar2024)

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