Somerville woman warns pet owners after suspected scammer uses AI image of missing cat

Stacey Ota of Somerville posted about her cat Luna, who disappeared on Halloween night. Two days later she received a text from someone claiming to have found the cat and sent an image Ota believes was created with AI; the sender repeatedly asked whether she would pay for the pet's return and arranged a public meeting but did not show up after Ota waited about 30 minutes. Ota reported the incident to the Somerville Police Department and later posted that Luna was found safe on Nov. 1. The reporting characterizes the image as likely AI-generated and frames the contact as a suspected scam aimed at extracting payment.

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