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Medium reported severity Investigation Opened

Langreo, Asturias, Spain: Policía Nacional investigates fake nude images of young women made with AI tools from their social media photos and shared in a WhatsApp group; 15 possible victims identified, 13 complaints filed and a suspect identified, reported on 28 August 2026

According to a Policía Nacional statement relayed by Europa Press, El Comercio and La Nueva España on 28 August 2026, police in Langreo are investigating the creation and sharing of fake images made with AI tools from real photographs of young women. The photographs were taken from their social media profiles and altered to make them appear naked without their consent, and the images were then shared through a WhatsApp group. The investigation began when one of the women reported that an image of her was circulating in which she appeared naked although the original photograph showed her clothed; she gave investigators both versions. Police have identified 15 possible victims, 13 of whom have filed complaints, and have identified a suspect and reported the facts to the judicial authority. El Comercio reports that the suspect belongs to the victims' circle of friends. The investigation remains open to establish whether more people are affected.

AI system
Unidentified image tool
Occurred
Event date unknown
Reported
28 August 2026
Event location
Spain
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Exploitation or Abuse
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Privacy · Everyday life
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account
6 claims: 6 reported. 4 open questions
People reported harmed
At least 13 people

AI system as recorded: Unidentified AI tools used, according to the Policía Nacional, to alter social media photographs of young women so that they appeared naked

What Happened

The complaint. Europa Press reports that the investigation began with a complaint from one of the affected women. She had learned that an image was circulating in which she appeared naked, although the original photograph had been taken when she was clothed. She gave investigators both the original and the image altered with AI.

The method. According to the police account, the suspect took photographs the young women had posted on their social media profiles and altered them with AI tools to produce fake images showing them naked. The images were then shared through a WhatsApp group.

Scale. Police established that other young women may have been subjected to the same method. They have identified 15 possible victims, 13 of whom have filed complaints.

The suspect. Police identified the suspected maker and distributor and reported the facts to the judicial authority. El Comercio reports that the suspect belongs to the victims' circle of friends. La Nueva España reports that one person has been identified as the suspected author.

Limits. All three reports relay one police statement. They do not give the ages of the women, the tool used, the size of the WhatsApp group, when the images were made or whether they have been removed. The suspect is not named and no arrest is reported.

Reported harm

Police say social media photographs of young women were altered with AI tools to show them naked without their consent and shared through a WhatsApp group; 15 possible victims are identified and 13 have filed complaints (Policía Nacional statement via Europa Press, El Comercio and La Nueva España).

Outcome

Ongoing

The investigation group of the Policía Nacional station of Langreo-San Martín del Rey Aurelio identified the suspected maker and distributor of the images and reported the facts to the judicial authority; the investigation remains open (Europa Press). No arrest, charge or court step is reported.

What remains unknown

  • The ages of the young women and whether any is a minor.
  • Which AI tool was used and when the images were made.
  • How many people were in the WhatsApp group and whether the images spread further or were removed.
  • Whether the suspect has been arrested or charged.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. The Policía Nacional says the fake images were generated with AI tools from real photographs of the young women, and the first complainant gave investigators the original photograph and the altered image (Europa Press; El Comercio; La Nueva España). The images depict the women (depicted_or_impersonated). No tool is named and no forensic report is described.

6 claims: 6 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported According to the Policía Nacional, fake images were generated with AI tools from real photographs of young women taken from their social media profiles and altered to make them appear naked without their consent.

Causal attribution. Police account relayed by three outlets (one chain); no tool or forensic report is described.

  • europapress.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'imágenes falsas generadas mediante herramientas de inteligencia artificial a partir de fotografías reales de jóvenes obtenidas de sus perfiles en redes sociales y manipuladas para hacerlas aparecer desnudas sin su consentimiento'
  • lne.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'creadas a partir de fotografías reales de jóvenes obtenidas de sus perfiles en redes sociales y manipuladas'; 'las modificaban mediante herramientas de IA'
Reported According to the police account, the images were shared through a WhatsApp group.

Causal attribution. Police account; the size of the group and the reach of the images are not reported.

Reported The investigation began when one of the women reported an image in which she appeared naked although the original photograph showed her clothed, and she gave investigators the original and the altered image.

Causal attribution. Police account of the first complaint.

  • europapress.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'tuvo conocimiento de la difusión de una imagen en la que aparecía desnuda pese a que la fotografía original había sido tomada cuando estaba vestida'
  • elcomercio.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'aportó a los investigadores tanto la imagen original como la manipulada mediante inteligencia artificial'
Reported Police have identified 15 possible victims, 13 of whom have filed complaints.

Causal attribution. Police count as of 28 August 2026; the investigation remained open.

  • europapress.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'Hasta el momento han sido identificadas 15 posibles víctimas, de las que 13 ya han presentado denuncia'
  • elcomercio.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'han sido identificadas 15 posibles víctimas, de las cuales 13 ya han presentado la correspondiente denuncia'
Reported Police identified the suspected maker and distributor of the images and reported the facts to the judicial authority; the investigation remains open.

Causal attribution. Police step as reported; no arrest or charge is reported.

  • europapress.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'identificar al presunto responsable de la creación y difusión de las imágenes y los hechos han sido puestos en conocimiento de la autoridad judicial'; 'La investigación permanece abierta para determinar si existen nuevas personas afectadas'
  • lne.es(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'Hay una persona identificada como presunto autor de los hechos'
Reported El Comercio reports that the suspect belongs to the victims' circle of friends.

Causal attribution. Single-outlet detail; its basis is not stated.

Sources

3 sources inspected, from 1 underlying account. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in Spanish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-05 (Europa Press, published 28 August 2026); no human translator reviewed it. Relays the Policía Nacional statement; same chain as the other sources. The Spanish uses feminine forms for the people depicted, rendered as young women. Applies to s1.

Read in Spanish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-05 (El Comercio, published 28 August 2026); no human translator reviewed it. Relays the Policía Nacional statement; same chain as the other sources. It adds that the suspect belongs to the circle of friends of the people depicted; the basis for that detail is not stated. The page is marked subscriber-only; the saved copy carries the article text through to the closing police recommendations, and the passages used are in it. Applies to s2.

Read in Spanish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-05 (La Nueva España, published 28 August 2026); no human translator reviewed it. Relays the Policía Nacional statement; same chain as the other sources. It quotes the police statement directly. Applies to s3.

Event countries: Spain. Affected-person countries: Unknown. Court countries: Unknown.

The Policía Nacional station of Langreo-San Martín del Rey Aurelio, in Asturias, Spain, is investigating the creation and sharing of the images in Langreo (Europa Press). The reports do not state where the women live. The facts were reported to the judicial authority; no court step is reported.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-05: Published under the 2026-09-15 charter: police say photographs of young women were altered with AI to show them naked and shared in a WhatsApp group, with 13 complaints filed. The account is one Policía Nacional statement relayed by Europa Press, El Comercio and La Nueva España; all claims are reported. No one depicted and no suspect is named.

People described

Young women whose social media photographs were altered to show them naked, in a case investigated by the Policía Nacional in Langreo (15 possible victims identified by police, 13 complainants; ages not given; none named)

People reported harmed in this case

At least 13 people

0 AI participants · 13 other people harmed

Police have identified 15 possible victims, of whom 13 have filed complaints (Europa Press; El Comercio; La Nueva España). The minimum counts the 13 complainants; the two further possible victims and any not yet identified are not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#ai-generated-sexual-images#undress-tool#whatsapp-group#spain#asturias#langreo#policia-nacional#investigation#spanish-language

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Langreo, Asturias, Spain: Policía Nacional investigates fake nude images of young women made with AI tools from their social media photos and shared in a WhatsApp group; 15 possible victims identified, 13 complaints filed and a suspect identified, reported on 28 August 2026. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-langreo-asturias-ai-nude-images-young-women-whatsapp-group-police-investigation

BibTeX

@misc{2026_langreo_asturias_ai_nude_images_young_women_whatsapp_group_police_investigation,
  title = {Langreo, Asturias, Spain: Policía Nacional investigates fake nude images of young women made with AI tools from their social media photos and shared in a WhatsApp group; 15 possible victims identified, 13 complaints filed and a suspect identified, reported on 28 August 2026},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-langreo-asturias-ai-nude-images-young-women-whatsapp-group-police-investigation}
}

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