India, Nov. 6 -- Scammers have found a dangerous new way to use generative AI, using the technology to prey on people desperately searching for lost pets. By manipulating photos from social media, scammers are generating realistic fake images of lost dogs and cats to trick desperate families into believing their beloved pets have been found. The perpetrators build immediate emotional panic, demanding fast ransom payments and threatening harm to the animal if owners hesitate or refuse to pay.

The scammers contact distraught owners with realistic but AI-generated pictures of their missing pets, the BBC reported. They then talk with the owners about the pets to create an emotional rapport. Once that is done, the fraudsters often fabricate a...