{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-24T07:32:24.916Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"consumer-dispute","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2026","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2026-nova-scotia-duct-cleaning-customer-shown-ai-watermarked-after-photo-of-work-found-not-done","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'she saw an ad on Facebook Marketplace promoting home duct-cleaning services for $150' ... 'two men showed up at her home on Oct. 9.' ... 'They eventually agreed on $300 for the entire job.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The customer says she booked a $150 duct-cleaning service advertised on Facebook Marketplace, two men came to her home on 9 October 2026, a worker showed her a photo of a very dirty motor and said she had mould, and the parties agreed on $300 for the job.","causal_attribution":"The customer's account to Global News."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'this motor that looks almost new. I was impressed.' ... 'she was shocked to see a completely different result from the one she was shown in the photo.' ... 'It was still filthy. All the dirt was still in that section where the filter goes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The customer says that at the end of the visit the worker showed her a photo on his phone of a motor that looked almost new, and that when she checked after the crew left the motor was still dirty.","causal_attribution":"The customer's account; her own photo of the uncleaned motor is described by Global News but its analysis is not reported."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He and two of his students created an AI report for Global News, which found a Google synth ID watermark on the photo of the clean blower motor, which is a way of identifying AI-generated images.' ... 'Lyu says AI-detector Sightengine also gave the photo a 99 per cent AI score.' ... 'So that’s our strongest evidence this image may come from AI,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"An AI researcher at the University at Buffalo and two of his students, examining the photos for Global News, found a Google SynthID watermark on the photo of the clean blower motor; the researcher says the AI detector Sightengine gave the photo a 99 per cent AI score and called the result their strongest evidence that the image may come from AI.","causal_attribution":"Analysis commissioned by Global News; the researcher states the result as probable, not certain."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'She says she spent hours messaging back and forth with the company, which denied any wrongdoing. After repeatedly complaining, she was refunded the $300 she had paid.' ... 'Global News sent an email and called three phone numbers associated with the business, but received no response.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The customer says the company denied wrongdoing and refunded the $300 only after she complained repeatedly; Global News received no response from the company.","causal_attribution":"The customer's account and the outlet's own inquiry."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'she was told by police that her case was considered a civil matter and not fraud.' ... 'A police spokesperson confirmed to Global News the case is not considered fraud.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Halifax Regional Police told the customer the matter was civil, and a police spokesperson confirmed to Global News that the case is not considered fraud.","causal_attribution":"Police response as reported by Global News."}],"effects":[{"label":"shown a photo of a cleaned motor as proof of work she then found had not been done","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"paid $300 and recovered it only after hours of complaints","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://globalnews.ca/news/12113258/nova-scotia-duct-cleaning-ai-photos/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-24 from the Global News page of 22 October 2026 (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"global-news-dartmouth-duct-cleaning"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","finance"],"unknowns":["Whether the \"before\" photo of the dirty motor was also generated; Global News' captions differ on which photo is believed to be AI-generated.","Which tool made the photo and who in the business produced it.","When the customer paid relative to being shown the \"after\" photo.","Whether other customers of the same business were shown generated photos."],"geography":{"basis":"Global News reports that the crew came to the customer's home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and that she spoke to Halifax Regional Police.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): a customer says a duct-cleaning crew showed her a photo of a cleaned furnace motor as proof of work she then found undone, and examiners commissioned by Global News found an AI watermark on that photo. The AI origin is stated as probable, the company denied wrongdoing and did not answer Global News, and police treated the matter as civil.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-24"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The business presented the customer with a photo of a cleaned furnace motor as proof that the job was done (communicated_with: AI-generated content an operator presented as information that a described person relied on, followed by an adverse consequence). Examiners commissioned by Global News (a University at Buffalo AI researcher and two students) found a Google SynthID watermark on that photo, and the researcher reported a 99 per cent AI score from the detector Sightengine and called the result their strongest evidence that the image may come from AI, so the AI generation rests on a named examination and is stated as probable. The customer says she was impressed by the photo and then found the work undone. The tool used is not named.","status":"suspected"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Nova Scotia woman says duct cleaners showed her an \"after\" photo of work she found undone; examiners for Global News found an AI watermark on it","summary":"A woman in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, told Global News that a duct-cleaning crew she booked through a Facebook Marketplace advert came to her home on 9 October 2026, showed her a phone photo of a dirty furnace motor, raised the price to $300 and then showed her a photo of a motor that looked almost new as proof the job was done. When she checked after the crew left, she says, the motor was still dirty. An AI researcher at the University at Buffalo and two students, examining the photos for Global News, found a Google SynthID watermark on the clean-motor photo; the researcher said the AI detector Sightengine gave it a 99 per cent AI score and called the result their strongest evidence that the image may come from AI. She says the company denied wrongdoing and refunded her only after repeated complaints; Halifax police told her it was a civil matter.","incidentDate":"2026-10-09","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-22","aiSystem":"An image-generation tool, not named, that examiners commissioned by Global News say probably produced the \"after\" photo of a cleaned furnace motor shown to the customer; they found a Google SynthID watermark on it","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool (suspected)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The customer says she paid $300 for a cleaning she found had not been done after being shown a photo of a clean motor, felt scammed, and got the money back only after hours of complaints (Global News).","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One customer, interviewed by Global News, who says she was shown the photo and paid for work not done. Other customers of the same business are not reported as harmed and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"CA-NS","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://globalnews.ca/news/12113258/nova-scotia-duct-cleaning-ai-photos/","primarySourceLabel":"Global News, 22 October 2026: N.S. woman says duct-cleaning company used AI-generated photos to fake work","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-24T03:06:02.832046+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-24T03:06:02.832046+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["suspected-ai-image","home_services","consumer-dispute","synthid","canada"]}]}