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Scammers use AI-generated images of missing pets to demand payment

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

NewsNation and BBC News report that scammers are using AI-generated images of missing pets to demand payment for their return. The New York Post reports a rise in such scams, citing a Florida man, Bill Cosens, who was told his beagle mix had been hit by a car and was asked for $2,800 for an operation, with fake images showing the dog on a table. He noticed the clinic address was wrong and was reunited with the dog. BBC News describes a Birmingham owner, Stephanie Young, whose cat was claimed by a person who asked for 100 Apple gift cards, and who received threats after questioning the images.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Reports describe scammers sending AI-generated images of missing pets and demanding payment for their return.

    Reported byCenter2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    NewsNation, BBC News
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Reports describe scammers threatening to kill or put down pets unless owners pay.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    New York Post

  3. The New York Post reports that a Florida owner, Bill Cosens, was told his dog had been hit by a car and was asked for $2,800 for an operation.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  4. BBC News reports that a Birmingham owner, Stephanie Young, was asked for 100 Apple gift cards and threatened after she questioned the images.

    One outletBBC News· Center

  5. Reports describe a rise in such scams.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    New York Post

How each side tells it

Compare views

Both sides present report that scammers use AI-generated images of missing pets to demand payment for their return. Center headlines state it as a ransom or reward demand, while the right headline leads with the threat to pets and the rise in cases.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines state the scam plainly and name the ransom or reward money demand made in return for the missing pet.

    Scammers are using AI-generated photos to demand ransom for lost pets
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post headline frames the scam as a rise in AI cat-fishing with a threat to the animal's life, dwelling on the threat to the pet.

    AI scammers target pet owners with fake pics and demands for ransom — or their fur baby dies
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    exorbitant sums

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    exorbitant sumsMore neutral: large sums

    The word exorbitant judges the amounts as excessive before the reader has the facts to assess them.

    …in swindlers using AI-altered photos of people’s missing dogs and cats to demand exorbitant sums and threatening to put down their precious pets if they don’t pay.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the use of AI-generated pet images
  • demands for ransom or reward money
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the threat to the pet's life
  • AI-altered photos and fake vet bills

Leaves out

  • the Birmingham case in which threats followed questioning of the images

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    AI scammers target pet owners with fake pics and demands for ransom — or their fur baby dies

    Scammers are holding people’s pets ransom — without even touching a hair on their heads. There’s been a rise in swindlers using AI-altered photos of people’s missing dogs and cats to demand Loaded modifier“exorbitant sums”The word exorbitant judges the amounts as excessive before the reader has the facts to assess them.More neutral: large sumsDisagree with this highlight? and threatening to put down their precious pets if they don’t pay. …

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    First to report

    BBC News, Nov 3, 7:44 PM EST

  • Right

    18 hr 33 min later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 2:17 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BBC NewsCenterNov 3, 7:44 PM EST
  2. New York PostRightNov 4, 2:17 PM EST
  3. NewsNationCenterNov 5, 1:16 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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