‘Your dad’s being used in these videos’: Scammers are turning to AI and TikTok to fake animal rescue videos

Scammers on TikTok are using stolen videos of elderly individuals to solicit donations for fake animal shelters. One such scam features an 84-year-old man, George Tsaftarides, who owns a menswear and tailoring shop in Ohio, but is being portrayed as running a cat shelter. His daughter, Daisy, discovered the scam when she saw her father's face on a video asking for donations. The scammers edited Tsaftarides' original content, which was meant to teach sewing, to make it appear as if he was pleading for help. Another elderly man, Charles Ray, 85, from Michigan, has also had his videos stolen and used for scams. Despite reporting the stolen content, both men have had difficulty getting the videos removed from TikTok. The platform's community guidelines prohibit impersonation accounts and content that violates intellectual property rights, but the scams continue. The Better Business Bureau has received reports of AI-generated scams designed to solicit fake donations, and the FBI reports that American consumers lost $12.5 billion to cybercrime last year. Some TikTok users are now raising awareness about these scams, warning others not to fall for fake donation requests. The scams often use emotional appeals, such as fake stories about struggling animal shelters, to manipulate people into donating.