Police in Guelph, Ont., are warning owners of lost pets to be careful before sending reward money to a person claiming to have found their animal.

Police said Friday that they had received two reports in the past week where people who had posted about their lost pets were contacted by people using AI-generated images of their pets.

A man called police Thursday afternoon to say his cat had gone missing and he posted online in an attempt to find it.

“He was then contacted by someone who claimed they found the cat and would return it for $300. The victim sent $50, then received an AI-generated photo of the cat and a further demand for payment. The victim declined and called police,” police said in a release on Friday.

This comes after a Brantford woman contacted the Guelph Police Service last Sunday. She had posted online about her lost dog and sent an e-transfer of $100 to a person who said they had the animal and sent the AI-generated image to her.

She contacted police after the person demanded more money. She later found the missing dog.

Police say they do not know if the two reports are related, but they say anyone should be “extremely cautious” if they receive a message this these accompanied by a photo of their pet. 

Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey said part of why a scam like this works is because of the emotions associated with a lost pet.

“Part of the concern we have is AI technology is becoming so good that people, especially in their emotional state when they’ve lost their pet, they’ll do whatever they can to get them back that they see these photos, they believe that they’re real,” Tracey told CBC News.

Tracy said it’s difficult to track down the person sending the messages because they’re using fake numbers and email addresses.

“The same person could could make it appear that they’re calling from two different phone numbers or use two different email addresses for the e-transfers,” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

OPP report same issue in Guelph-Eramosa Township

Guelph isn’t the only region facing this issue. 

On Wednesday, Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say a resident of Guelph-Eramosa Township posted a photo of their lost cat on social media. A person emailed saying they had the cat and demanded $250 for its return.

“Additionally, the fraudster sent a photo back of the photo that the resident originally posted, appeared to be digitally altered in the attempt to convince they located the cat,” the OPP’s release said.

“The resident found this suspicious and called the police before sending over any money. While police were present and speaking with the resident, the lost cat thankfully returned home.”

OPP warn anyone who received an unsolicited email, phone call or message asking for personal information to end the call and block the number or email address. 

Warning signs to look out for when receiving unsolicited messages include:

Email, text messages or phone calls sent at odd times of the night. Creating a false sense of urgency. Spelling errors. Lack of punctuation or capitals in sentences. Automated messages. Random links or attachments. Generic business or company name.