Increasingly realistic, easy-to-make AI-generated images are a major asset for online scammers looking to trick unsuspecting victims. While past AI-generated scams have tried to deceive people with fake celebrities or potential love interests, attackers increasingly have a new target: distraught pet owners searching for their lost companions. The photos sent to owners were completely fabricated, generated by AI using the real images of the missing animal as a reference. Scammers use photos posted on social media to create AI-generated images of lost dogs. Popular Science reached out to Meta (Facebook’s parent company) asking about the apparent AI images on the page, but has not heard back.