ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg couple said scammers used an AI photo of their missing dog to try to steal nearly $2,000 from them.
Dennis Morida said his German Shepherd puppy, Hazel, escaped through a backyard fence last week.
WATCH: St. Petersburg couple says scammers used AI photo of their missing dog to steal money
He said a security camera captured the puppy running across the street. Dennis was not far behind, looking for Hazel.
Dennis is a military veteran who operates a non-profit organization called "Always a Warrior K-9." He trains dogs for veterans and other pet owners.
He said he posted about the missing dog on social media, including the Nextdoor app.
He said around 11 p.m., he received a phone call from someone claiming to be a police sergeant from the St. Petersburg Police Department.
"We had an incident. The dog was hit by a car, the German Shepherd. They gave me an exact address, they gave me a fake incident report number. I didn't realize it was fake until later," said Dennis.
Dennis believes scammers used artificial intelligence to create a photo of his dog injured on an operating table at a vet's office.
The scammers asked for $1,900 through Zelle, he said. He tried sending the money, but the digital payment service flagged the large amount.
Dennis said he tried sending a smaller amount.
"They said, you're going to get a text message with a picture so that we can verify it is your dog, and so I got a text. I opened it and yeah, definitely her, but I didn't realize it was AI- generated," he said.
He said the caller said he could pick up his dog at Pinellas County Animal Services the next day.
"They gave the exact address, the exact phone number so it felt more legit, seemed more legit," he said.
Dennis said the next morning, Hazel showed up in his front yard unharmed. He realized it had been a scam.
He said he was able to get Zelle to stop the payment.
He wanted to share his story to warn others.
"It seemed so real and so legit at the time. We would do anything to get the puppy back, to get Hazel back," he said.
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