Heartbroken pet owner issues warning after being targeted by cruel AI scam

Published: 05:50, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 05:56, 12 May 2026 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, hoping she was wrong.  A pet owner who reported her cat missing online has been scammed after being texted AI-generated photos looking like her black shorthair along with a demand for ransom Cinda has discolouration in one of her eyes and doesn't wear a collar (pictured) 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 to 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 proof you won't call cops.'  Sarah said she would hand over $300 in cash if she was able to see Cinda first. 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. Cinda is still missing This was one of the AI picture of Cinda that Sarah received from the scammer 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.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.