Stacey Ota AI image incident — Nov 2026

A Somerville resident searching for her missing cat was targeted by a scammer who utilized AI-generated imagery to deceive her into paying a reward. The incident highlights a growing trend of bad actors exploiting the emotional distress of pet owners who post about lost animals on social media.

What happened

After Stacey Ota’s cat, Luna, went missing on Halloween, she posted about the search on social media and distributed flyers throughout her neighborhood. Two days later, Ota received a text message from an individual claiming to have found the cat. To bolster the credibility of the claim, the sender provided an image that Ota believes was generated using artificial intelligence.

The scammer suggested meeting in a public location but repeatedly pressured Ota regarding payment for the cat's return. Ota insisted on discussing payment only after meeting in person. However, after waiting for 30 minutes at the designated location, the individual never appeared, and Ota realized she had been duped. Ota subsequently reported the incident to the Somerville Police Department and warned other residents via social media to be cautious of similar exploitation. Fortunately, Ota’s cat was later found safe by other means. This incident aligns with warnings from the Better Business Bureau, which has cautioned that scammers monitor social media for missing-pet posts to identify and target vulnerable victims.