DELTON, Fla. (WSVN)– A cruel scam targeted a family in Central Florida that was desperate to find their missing dog.
Scammers used artificial intelligence to try to convince the family to send money for a fake emergency, but the family spotted all the red flags.
“So it’s Saturday, you were at a Solar Bears game, you come home, late at night. Usually, the dogs are there to welcome you, but they are not?” asked a reporter.
“One comes, instead of three,” responded Cosens.
Lytton Cosens said he spent hours into the night Saturday searching for his 11-year-old beagle mix Archer in their Deltona neighborhood.
Then, Sunday morning, they received a call from someone who claimed to have found the dog and said he had been hit by a car and needed surgery.
“The first thing we are thinking of is, ‘Oh my gosh! Somebody found him,” said Cosens. “‘So, we need to do emergency surgery. Do we have authorization to do that?’ We are like, yeah!”
The Cosens said when the person on the phone demanded over $2,700 for the surgery, they asked for a picture of their dog to prove he was in their care.
“And then they sent us a picture, and at first glance, it’s my dog, lying on an operating table.”
“What were your emotions when you looked at that picture?” asked a reporter.
“At this point, we are like, ‘Oh my gosh, is he going to live? What happened to my baby?” Said Cosens.
The Cosens said the caller demanded the money in CVS gift cards, which raised a red flag.
Looking more closely at the two pictures, they discovered pattern differences in Archer’s fur and noticed the X-ray dated back to 2022.
“She hung up with them and goes ‘No, there’s something wrong,’ I go, ‘Yeah, I was thinking something, but I didn’t want to be the reason we didn’t save the dog.'”
Later that afternoon, the Cosens said their neighbor came home and told them that he had witnessed a woman put Archer into her vehicle after he got loose in the yard.
Ultimately, that same woman and vehicle returned Thursday morning to drop Archer off in front of their home.
“The biggest fortunate thing is we got Archer back, and poor guy is just emotionally worn out, I mean, he’s been through the wringer for about five days now,” said Cosens.
“What would you say to the person who would hit you at your lowest like that?” said a reporter.
“Yeah, if you are going to hit someone at their lowest, and then try to scam them, justice will be done,” said Cosens.
The family is thankful Archer is home and is now aware of the dangers of AI.
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