{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-14T10:40:18.677Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"elderly","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":6,"coverage":{"cases":6,"countries":4,"languages":4,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":3,"minors":0,"coreRelations":6,"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":"2025-husband-says-wifes-chatgpt-spiritual-conversations-spun-her-out-of-managed-bipolar-disorder-before-domestic-violence-arrest","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'a man told Futurism that his wife had successfully managed her bipolar disorder for many years — until she started using ChatGPT'; 'She’d started using ChatGPT earlier this year to help her with writing. But her use quickly became problematic.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The husband says his wife had successfully managed bipolar disorder for many years until she began using ChatGPT earlier in 2025, at first to help with writing.","causal_attribution":"The husband's account; the wife's account is not reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'His wife soon stopped sleeping, instead staying up late into the night to engage in long, intensive conversations with ChatGPT about spiritual topics — she believed she’d contacted a mystical entity inside the AI'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"He says she stopped sleeping and held long late-night conversations with ChatGPT about spiritual topics, believing she had contacted a mystical entity inside the AI.","causal_attribution":"The husband's description of her ChatGPT use; the outputs are not quoted."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The man said that his wife stopped taking her medication, causing her mental state to rapidly deteriorate. She became verbally hostile toward him and her elderly mother, whom they lived with.'; 'the woman began to follow her husband around their home, reading aloud ChatGPT-generated outputs about him and their marriage'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"He says she stopped taking her medication and deteriorated rapidly, became verbally hostile toward him and her elderly mother, and followed him around the house reading aloud ChatGPT-generated outputs about him and their marriage.","causal_attribution":"The husband attributes the spiral to ChatGPT ('ChatGPT came along into her life ... And that spun her out'); the source does not say ChatGPT advised stopping medication."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Things came to a head one evening when the woman became aggressive with her mother, prompting the husband to attempt to intervene.'; 'She shoved him into a door. Her mother called the police, who arrested her for domestic violence, and she spent the night in jail. Court records obtained by Futurism confirmed details of the arrest.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"After she became aggressive with her mother and shoved him into a door, her mother called the police; she was arrested for domestic violence and spent the night in jail, and Futurism says court records confirmed details of the arrest.","causal_attribution":"The husband's account of the events; Futurism states it confirmed arrest details in court records, which were not inspected for this review."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'But now that looks unlikely: they, too, are divorcing.'; 'Though the man and his wife’s family are urging her to pursue treatment, she continues to refuse.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The couple are divorcing, and she refuses the treatment her husband and family urge.","causal_attribution":"The husband's account as reported by Futurism."}],"effects":[{"label":"managed bipolar disorder deteriorated, medication stopped and domestic-violence arrest after intensive ChatGPT use, per husband","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"marriage ending in divorce","claim_id":"c5","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://futurism.com/chatgpt-marriages-divorces","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-11-01 by the research agent (an AI); no translation was needed. Futurism feature of 18 September 2025 by Maggie Harrison Dupré; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"futurism-chatgpt-marriages-feature"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["relationships","health"],"unknowns":["What ChatGPT actually said to her; no outputs are quoted.","Whether ChatGPT said anything about her medication; the husband reports only that she stopped taking it.","The wife's own account.","When the arrest happened and the outcome of the domestic-violence case.","Where the family lives."],"geography":{"basis":"Futurism keeps the family anonymous and does not say where they live or which court's records it obtained; no country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): the husband describes his wife's long spiritual conversations with ChatGPT and its outputs about him, and connects them to the deterioration of her managed bipolar disorder, her stopping medication, abuse in the home and a domestic-violence arrest that Futurism says court records confirm. All claims are attributed to his account.","reviewed_on":"2026-11-01"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The husband describes the wife's own exchanges with ChatGPT: long late-night conversations about spiritual topics in which she came to believe she had contacted a mystical entity inside the AI, and ChatGPT-generated outputs about him and their marriage that she read aloud to him. He connects these exchanges to the rapid deterioration of her long-managed bipolar disorder that preceded her stopping medication and her arrest. The account is his; the source does not quote the outputs or say that ChatGPT advised stopping medication.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Husband says wife's spiritual ChatGPT conversations spun her out of managed bipolar disorder; she stopped medication and was arrested for domestic violence","summary":"A man told Futurism that his wife had managed bipolar disorder well for many years until she began using ChatGPT earlier in 2025, at first for help with writing. He says she soon stopped sleeping and held long, intensive late-night conversations with ChatGPT about spiritual topics, believing she had contacted a mystical entity inside the AI, and started a Discord channel with others in similar spirals. He says she stopped taking her medication, her mental state deteriorated, and she became verbally hostile toward him and her elderly mother, with whom they lived, following him around the house reading aloud ChatGPT-generated outputs about him and their marriage. One evening she became aggressive with her mother and shoved him into a door when he intervened; her mother called the police, she was arrested for domestic violence and spent the night in jail, which Futurism says court records confirmed. The couple are divorcing, and she refuses treatment. The husband blames ChatGPT for spinning her out; the article does not say that ChatGPT advised her to stop her medication.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-09-18","aiSystem":"ChatGPT (OpenAI), which the husband says his wife used for long conversations about spiritual topics and which produced outputs about him and their marriage that she read aloud","aiProduct":"ChatGPT (reported)","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychiatric_deterioration","treatment_disruption","relationship_disruption","loss_of_liberty","exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Her husband says the wife's managed bipolar disorder deteriorated after intensive ChatGPT use, she stopped her medication, became verbally and physically abusive toward him and hostile toward her elderly mother, and spent a night in jail after a domestic-violence arrest; the couple are divorcing.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Three people: the wife who used ChatGPT (deterioration, stopped medication, arrest); her husband (verbal and physical abuse, shoved into a door); and her elderly mother (verbal hostility and aggression). Each is counted once.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"chatbot","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://futurism.com/chatgpt-marriages-divorces","primarySourceLabel":"Futurism, 18 September 2025: ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as Spouses Use AI to Attack Their Partners","firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-01T03:14:06.121485+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-11-01T03:14:06.121485+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatgpt","bipolar-disorder","medication-stopped","spiritual-conversations","domestic-violence-arrest","divorce"]},{"id":"2025-brazil-police-say-fake-online-donation-campaigns-used-ai-deepfake-videos-of-a-singer-and-two-priests","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Segundo a Polícia Civil, o grupo criava e divulgava páginas falsas de arrecadação de doações' ... 'Para ampliar o alcance das campanhas e atrair mais pessoas, os investigados recorriam a ferramentas de inteligência artificial, incluindo as chamadas' ... 'para criar vídeos falsos com imagens de personalidades públicas, como Gusttavo Lima e os padres Marcelo Rossi e Fábio de Melo.' ... 'As publicações circulavam nas redes sociais e direcionavam os usuários a páginas que simulavam campanhas beneficentes legítimas. Os valores arrecadados, porém, eram transferidos para contas bancárias controladas pelo grupo.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Para dar credibilidade às campanhas, os suspeitos também recorriam a ferramentas de inteligência artificial, incluindo a tecnologia deepfake, para produzir vídeos falsos com imagens de personalidades como o cantor Gusttavo Lima e os padres Marcelo Rossi e Fábio de Melo.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the police, the group created and spread fake donation pages and, to attract donors, used artificial intelligence tools including deepfakes to make fake videos with the images of the singer Gusttavo Lima and the priests Marcelo Rossi and Fábio de Melo; the posts circulated on social media and led users to pages imitating legitimate charity appeals, and the money went to accounts the group controlled.","causal_attribution":"Police account relayed by the outlets; all sources relay one police release, and the technical basis for the AI attribution is not disclosed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os investigados usavam inteligência artificial para criar vídeos de falsos idosos, crianças e pessoas com doenças graves para sensibilizar e induzir as vítimas a fazerem doações.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"g1 reports that the suspects also used artificial intelligence to make videos of fake elderly people, children and seriously ill people to move victims to donate.","causal_attribution":"g1's account of the police investigation; the other reports describe these as images used on the pages without saying they were AI-made."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Entre 13 de outubro e 26 de novembro de 2025, a companhia recebeu 215.575 transações, que somaram R$ 9.839.087,73. A maioria dos pagamentos envolvia quantias relativamente baixas, especialmente R$ 30 e R$ 50.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'O padrão aplicado pelo grupo sugere um número expressivo de vítimas em diferentes regiões do país, ainda que a soma de transações não corresponda necessariamente ao número de pessoas afetadas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A PCDF ressalva que não dá para ligar esse total a um número exato de vítimas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Police say one company linked to the group received 215,575 transactions totalling R$9,839,087.73 between 13 October and 26 November 2025, mostly of R$30 and R$50, and that the number of transactions does not necessarily match the number of victims.","causal_attribution":"Police financial findings relayed by the outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A ação cumpre seis mandados de prisão preventiva, além de mandados de busca e apreensão no Distrito Federal e nos estados de Goiás, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina e São Paulo. A Justiça também determinou o bloqueio de ativos financeiros e patrimoniais. Até o momento, cinco investigados foram presos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Os agentes prenderam seis pessoas: duas em Planaltina, no Distrito Federal; uma em Planaltina de Goiás, uma em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais; e uma em Joinville, em Santa Catarina.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 28 October 2026 the Federal District Civil Police launched an operation with six preventive arrest warrants, search warrants in the Federal District and four states, and asset freezes; five suspects had been arrested by the time of the CNN Brasil report, while g1 reported six arrests.","causal_attribution":"Procedural facts reported from the police; the arrest count differs between reports."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A análise de contas eletrônicas também revelou mais de 230 GB de arquivos, incluindo vídeos, imagens, roteiros, códigos de programação, bancos de dados e materiais destinados à produção de novas campanhas fraudulentas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Investigators found more than 230 GB of files in the group's accounts, including videos, images, scripts, programming code, databases and material for new fraudulent campaigns.","causal_attribution":"Police finding relayed by CNN Brasil."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os investigados poderão responder por estelionato eletrônico, organização criminosa e lavagem de dinheiro, entre outros crimes que venham a ser identificados no decorrer da apuração.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A PCDF não divulgou os nomes dos presos, e a defesa não foi localizada. A polícia descreve o cantor e os padres como imagens usadas nos vídeos falsos, não como participantes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Police say the suspects may answer for electronic fraud, criminal organisation and money laundering; the police did not release the names of those arrested and describe the singer and the priests as images used in the fake videos, not as participants.","causal_attribution":"Police statements relayed by the outlets."}],"effects":[{"label":"people moved by fake charity appeals using AI-made videos of public figures sent donations to the group","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/centro-oeste/df/policia-prende-grupo-que-usava-deepfake-de-gusttavo-lima-em-golpe-de-doacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. CNN Brasil report, read in full; it relays the PCDF operation release.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/brasilia/pcdf-prende-suspeitos-de-arrecadar-quase-r-10-milhoes-com-falsas-campanhas-de-doacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Jornal de Brasília report, read in full; it relays the same PCDF release (photo credited PCDF).","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://g1.globo.com/df/distrito-federal/noticia/2026/10/28/grupo-suspeito-ia-falsas-campanhas-beneficentes.ghtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. g1 DF report, read in full; it relays the police account and a police video; it gives six arrests where the other reports give five.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://soubrasilia.com/golpe-vaquinha-falsa-pix-deepfake-pcdf-operacao-caritas-como-evitar/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. SouBrasília explainer, read in full; it relays the PCDF release and states the police caveat on victim numbers.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tools were used and how the police established that the videos were AI-made.","How many people donated, and how many did so because of the AI-made videos of public figures rather than the other material on the pages.","Whether the singer or the priests depicted have responded to the use of their images.","The full period of the campaigns beyond the 13 October to 26 November 2025 window traced for one company, and what charges will follow."],"geography":{"basis":"The police operation ran in the Federal District, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and São Paulo, and the police say the victims were in different regions of the country; the warrants were issued by a Brazilian court.","court_countries":["BR"],"event_countries":["BR"],"affected_person_countries":["BR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the investigating Federal District Civil Police say the group used AI tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests to draw donors to fake charity pages, and that the group took in about R$9.8 million through one company in late 2025. The police's technical basis is not disclosed. All four sources relay one police release, so every claim is reported. No private person is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"According to the Federal District Civil Police, whose release CNN Brasil, Jornal de Brasília, g1 DF and SouBrasília relay, the investigation found that the group used artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests, and that these videos were used to attract donors to fake charity pages. This is an attribution of this scheme by the investigating police, which also report seizing more than 230 GB of the group's videos, images, scripts and code; how the police established that the videos were AI-made is not disclosed. People deceived by the generated videos of public figures were impersonated toward them (depicted_or_impersonated).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Brasília police say a group used AI deepfake videos of singer Gusttavo Lima and two priests in fake donation drives that took in nearly R$10 million","summary":"The Federal District Civil Police (PCDF) in Brazil say a criminal group ran fake online donation campaigns that used images of elderly people, children and seriously ill people, and used artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of the singer Gusttavo Lima and the Catholic priests Marcelo Rossi and Fábio de Melo. The posts circulated on social media and sent people to pages imitating legitimate charity appeals; the money went to bank accounts the group controlled. Police say one company linked to the group received 215,575 transactions totalling about R$9.8 million between 13 October and 26 November 2025, mostly of R$30 and R$50, and that the number of transactions does not necessarily match the number of victims. On 28 October 2026 the PCDF launched Operação Cáritas with six preventive arrest warrants and search warrants in the Federal District and four states; five suspects had been arrested by the time of most reports (g1 reported six). How the police established that the videos were AI-made is not disclosed, and no response from the people depicted is reported.","incidentDate":"2025-10-13","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-26","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-28","aiSystem":"Artificial intelligence tools, not named, including deepfake technology, that the Federal District Civil Police say the group used to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests for fake donation campaigns","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Police say people who saw fake charity appeals promoted with AI-made videos of a singer and two priests sent donations to accounts the group controlled; one linked company received about R$9.8 million in 215,575 transactions in October and November 2025.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"Unquantified. The police describe victims who were induced to transfer money and say the transaction pattern suggests many victims, but they state that the 215,575 transactions do not necessarily correspond to the number of people affected, and no count of people is given. The 66 police reports in the Federal District concern companies receiving money from various electronic frauds and are not counted. The singer and priests depicted are not counted because no response or consequence is reported for them.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"BR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/centro-oeste/df/policia-prende-grupo-que-usava-deepfake-de-gusttavo-lima-em-golpe-de-doacao/","primarySourceLabel":"CNN Brasil, 28 Oct 2026: police arrest group that used Gusttavo Lima deepfake in donation scam (Portuguese)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:23.542533+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:23.542533+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","donation-scam","fraud","police-investigation","public-figures","brazil","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-perak-malaysia-elderly-couple-travelled-for-cable-car-shown-in-ai-generated-news-video-hotel-worker-says","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A hotel worker who broke the news to the couple detailed the incident in a post on Threads on June 30, saying that their experience had shocked her.'; '“(The couple) came to check into the hotel, and they asked if I’ve ridden the cable car at Kuak Hulu. I thought they were just kidding,” said the worker.'; 'But she soon realised the couple were serious when the elderly woman told her that they had travelled all the way from Kuala Lumpur for it.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A hotel worker in Perak said in a Threads post on 30 June 2025 that an elderly couple checking into her hotel asked whether she had ridden the cable car at Kuak Hulu, and that the woman told her they had travelled all the way from Kuala Lumpur for it.","causal_attribution":"The hotel worker's own account as The Straits Times relays it; the couple did not speak to the press."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The fake cable car is depicted in a nearly three-minute-long AI-generated video in which a journalist from “TV Rakyat” appears to introduce the attraction and interview visitors, including tourists from Thailand.'; 'The video also features scenes of people queueing up at the “Kuak SkyRide” ticket counter.'; 'As she flips, her legs and body merge to become a misshapen blob, before she lands on her feet and returns to normal.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The couple had seen a nearly three-minute video, described as AI-generated, in which a journalist from a 'TV Rakyat' channel appears to introduce a 'Kuak SkyRide' cable car attraction and interview visitors; The Straits Times describes an old woman in the video whose legs and body merge into a misshapen blob as she flips.","causal_attribution":"The Straits Times' description of the video."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“The auntie then asked, ‘Why would anyone want to lie? There was even a reporter (in the video)’,” she added.'; 'added she wanted to sue the “TV Rakyat” journalist.'; 'When asked why they did not check with their children before visiting the non-existent attraction, the couple said they were too embarrassed.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the hotel worker, the elderly woman asked why anyone would lie when there was even a reporter in the video, said she wanted to sue the 'TV Rakyat' journalist, and the couple said they had been too embarrassed to check with their children first.","causal_attribution":"The hotel worker's account of the couple's words."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'mengakui bahawa kandungan video tersebut dihasilkan menerusi janaan kecerdasan buatan (AI) dan meminta orang ramai supaya tidak keliru.'; '“Sudah tentu ia tidak wujud... tetapi saya akui teruja melihatnya.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Baling district officer acknowledged that the video's content was generated by artificial intelligence and said the cable car does not exist.","causal_attribution":"The district officer's statement to Sinar Harian (the AI wording is Sinar Harian's paraphrase of his acknowledgement; his quoted words call it 'kandungan AI', AI content)."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“Sehingga kini, kami belum menerima sebarang laporan membabitkan kerugian, penipuan atau kebimbangan berhubung kandungan AI yang tular itu.'; '“Hasil semakan di daerah Baling mahupun di Pengkalan Hulu, memang tiada projek kereta kabel sedemikian,” katanya.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He added that preliminary checks have confirmed the video was entirely fabricated.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The acting Baling district police chief said checks in Baling and Pengkalan Hulu found no such cable car project and that the police had received no report of losses, fraud or public concern about the viral AI content; he told the New Straits Times that preliminary checks confirmed the video was entirely fabricated.","causal_attribution":"Two interviews with the same police officer (Sinar Harian's own, and the New Straits Times' as relayed by The Straits Times): one origin. The police describe no technical examination of the video."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'a video fabricated with Veo3, the generative artificial engine made by Google.'; 'There was a Veo3 logo in the bottom right corner.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A Fast Company column says the video was fabricated with Google's Veo3 generative engine and carried a Veo3 logo in its bottom right corner.","causal_attribution":"The columnist's description of the video; the column does not say who first identified the logo."}],"effects":[{"label":"elderly couple travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perak for a cable car ride shown in an AI-generated news video that does not exist","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"woman shocked to learn the reporter was not real and wanted to sue; couple too embarrassed to have asked their children","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/elderly-duo-travels-across-malaysia-for-cable-car-ride-seen-in-clip-only-to-find-out-it-was-all-ai","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"The Straits Times, 3 July 2025, relaying the hotel worker's Threads post of 30 June and the acting district police chief's comments to the New Straits Times; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"straits-times-3-jul-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/736831/berita/semasa/jangan-terpedaya-video-ai-kereta-kabel-perak-ke-kedah","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ms","translation_note":"Read in the original Malay; the English renderings in this record are translations by the research agent (an AI), not by a human translator. Sinar Harian, 3 July 2025, with its own interviews of the Baling district officer and the acting Baling district police chief; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"sinar-harian-3-jul-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.fastcompany.com/91368492/ai-video-tricking-tourists-places-that-dont-exist","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Fast Company opinion column, 17 July 2025, describing the video; live HTTP 403, Internet Archive capture of 24 May 2026 read in full.","independence_group":"fast-company-17-jul-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","travel"],"unknowns":["Who made and posted the 'TV Rakyat' video, and on which platform the couple saw it (outlets mention TikTok and Facebook).","What the trip cost the couple; the police said they had received no report of losses.","The exact date of the couple's trip; the hotel worker posted on 30 June 2025."],"geography":{"basis":"The couple travelled from Kuala Lumpur to a hotel in Perak, Malaysia, to find a cable car said to run from Kuak Hulu in Perak to Baling in Kedah (The Straits Times, Sinar Harian).","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["MY"],"affected_person_countries":["MY"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): an elderly couple relied on a video in which an apparently AI-generated television journalist presented a non-existent cable car attraction, and travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perak to ride it, according to the hotel worker who met them. The video is described as AI-generated by the district officer and the police, and a Fast Company column reports a Veo3 logo on it. The account rests on one hotel worker's post.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The couple relied on a video presented by an apparent television journalist who, the Straits Times and the hotel worker say, was AI-generated and did not exist. The Straits Times describes a visual artefact at the end of the video, an old woman whose legs and body merge into a misshapen blob as she flips. A Fast Company column says the video carried a Veo3 logo in its bottom right corner and was fabricated with Google's Veo3. The Baling district officer acknowledged to Sinar Harian that the content was AI-generated, and the acting district police chief called it viral AI content and said checks confirmed no such cable car exists. No technical examination of the video by the authorities is described, and who made and posted it is unknown.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Malaysia: hotel worker says elderly couple travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perak for a cable car shown in an AI-generated news video","summary":"A hotel worker in Perak, Malaysia, said in a Threads post on 30 June 2025 that an elderly couple checking in asked whether she had ridden the cable car at Kuak Hulu, telling her they had travelled from Kuala Lumpur for it. They had seen a nearly three-minute video in which a journalist from a 'TV Rakyat' channel appears to introduce a 'Kuak SkyRide' cable car and interview visitors. The worker says she explained the video was AI-generated; the woman asked why anyone would lie when there was even a reporter in it and said she wanted to sue the journalist, and the couple said they had been too embarrassed to check with their children. The Baling district officer acknowledged that the content was AI-generated, and the acting district police chief said checks found no such cable car and that no report of losses had been received. A Fast Company column says the video carried a Veo3 logo. Who made the video is unknown.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-07-03","aiSystem":"An AI-generated news-style video with a synthetic television journalist from a 'TV Rakyat' channel presenting a non-existent cable car; a Fast Company column says it carried a Google Veo3 logo","aiProduct":"Veo 3 (reported)","aiCompany":"Google","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the hotel worker who met them, an elderly couple travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perak to ride a cable car shown in an AI-generated news video; the woman was shocked to learn the reporter was not real and wanted to sue, and the couple were embarrassed. The cost of the trip is not reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two: the elderly couple the hotel worker describes. Other viewers of the video, and a netizen's parents mentioned in other coverage, are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"MY","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/elderly-duo-travels-across-malaysia-for-cable-car-ride-seen-in-clip-only-to-find-out-it-was-all-ai","primarySourceLabel":"The Straits Times, 3 July 2025: elderly duo travel across Malaysia for cable car ride seen in clip, only to find out it was all AI","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-19T03:16:53.034075+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T03:16:53.034075+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-video","synthetic-presenter","fake-news-segment","travel","elderly","malaysia"]},{"id":"2025-pont-a-mousson-ai-generated-macron-arnault-investment-ad-pensioner-savings-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'initiés à partir de publications sur les réseaux sociaux utilisant des avatars de personnalités publiques générés par IA, comme Macron ou Arnault'; 'Des avatars de ces personnalités, générés par intelligence artificielle (IA), fleurissent sur les réseaux sociaux, et proposent des placements financiers juteux mais faux'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'L’affaire remonte à l’été 2025. Une publicité sur Internet promet des placements avantageux, mettant en scène le président de la République Emmanuel Macron et le milliardaire Bernard Arnault'; 'la publicité était en réalité un « deepfake », c’est-à-dire une fausse vidéo générée à l’aide de l’intelligence artificielle utilisant l’avatar de personnes existantes'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'la femme s’est fait duper par une publicité réalisée à l’aide de l’intelligence artificielle dans laquelle Emmanuel Macron et Bernard Arnault conseillent de réaliser des placements avantageux'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A retired woman in her eighties living in Pont-à-Mousson saw an online advertisement in which likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault, described as AI-generated avatars by the regional press reporting the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning, promoted a lucrative investment platform; Le Parisien places this in summer 2025.","causal_attribution":"Account of the Pont-à-Mousson police station as relayed by L'Est Républicain and, via ICI and L'Est Républicain, by Le Parisien and Capital; one reporting chain. The AI description is the outlets' own wording in reporting that warning; no quoted police statement mentions AI."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Après avoir donné son nom et son numéro, un faux conseiller bancaire la contacte. Il lui explique alors ce qu’elle peut gagner. L’escroc demande qu’elle installe un logiciel sur son ordinateur.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'L’homme, très convaincant, lui propose de placer 5 000 euros pour commencer. Plusieurs semaines après, la promesse est tenue et l’octogénaire reçoit plusieurs centaines d’euros « d’intérêts »'; 'La retraitée accepte et verse à nouveau 5 000 euros'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"She gave her name and telephone number through the advertisement's form, was contacted by a fake financial adviser, was asked to install software on her computer, invested 5,000 euros, received several hundred euros presented as interest, and reinvested repeatedly.","causal_attribution":"Police-station account via the same reporting chain."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'une habitante de Pont-à-Mousson s’est fait escroquer 10 000 € après des placements frauduleux'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'10 000 euros. C’est la somme qu’a perdue une retraitée, résidant à Pont-à-Mousson en Meurthe-et-Moselle, après avoir subi une escroquerie pendant l’été 2025'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Les escrocs lui ont ainsi dérobé 10 000 euros, en deux retraits successifs de 5 000 euros chacun'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"She lost at least 10,000 euros: L'Est Républicain and Capital report 10,000 euros, and Marie France (citing CNews) reports 10,000 euros taken in two withdrawals of 5,000 euros.","causal_attribution":"Police-station account via one reporting chain; the amount is not independently established."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Une retraitée a été arnaquée de 25 000 euros, à Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Moselle)'; 'Entre juin et juillet 2025, l’octogénaire réitère l’opération plusieurs fois et finit par placer toutes ses économies, soit 25 000 euros'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'s’est fait escroquer 10 000 € après des placements frauduleux'","relation":"contradicts","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'elle décide alors d’investir toutes ses économies'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Le Parisien, citing ICI and L'Est Républicain, reports a total loss of 25,000 euros, all her savings, placed in several instalments between June and July 2025.","causal_attribution":"Le Parisien's figure differs from the 10,000 euros of L'Est Républicain, Capital and Marie France; which figure the police gave, or whether the larger one includes later instalments, is not established."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'l’annonce publicitaire, ainsi que le site frauduleux, ont disparu'; 'Une enquête a été ouverte pour tenter d’identifier le ou les auteurs de cette arnaque'; '« Pour ce genre d’arnaque, nous enregistrons entre trois et cinq plaintes par semaine »'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Le commissariat de Pont-à-Mousson alerte : les escroqueries aux faux conseillers bancaires se multiplient'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The advertisement and the fraudulent site then disappeared; an investigation was opened, and the Pont-à-Mousson police station publicly warned that it records three to five complaints a week for this kind of fraud.","causal_attribution":"Statements of the Pont-à-Mousson police station to the regional press."}],"effects":[{"label":"lost her savings to a fraudulent investment platform promoted by an advertisement using AI-generated likenesses of Macron and Arnault","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.estrepublicain.fr/faits-divers-justice/2026/06/07/escroquee-par-un-faux-macron-genere-par-ia-elle-perd-10-000-dans-des-placements-frauduleux","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. L'Est Républicain (Groupe EBRA) regional report of 7 June 2026 based on the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/une-retraitee-perd-25-000-euros-apres-avoir-ete-piegee-par-une-fausse-publicite-demmanuel-macron-generee-par-ia-15-06-2026-EXVJWQKNJ5DTTKETUIJO4AABPQ.php","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. Le Parisien, 15 June 2026, explicitly based on ICI (France Bleu) and L'Est Républicain; same reporting chain as s1.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/une-retraitee-perd-10-000-euros-a-cause-d-une-fausse-publicite-generee-par-ia-comment-eviter-ce-piege-1527640","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. Capital, 15 June 2026, explicitly based on L'Est Républicain and ICI; same reporting chain as s1.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.mariefrance.fr/news-people/apres-brad-pitt-faux-emmanuel-macron-vole-milliers-euros-internaute-tombee-panneau-1277321.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. Marie France, 10 June 2026, relaying a CNews article; the CNews item was not located. Same police-station account; kept as context for the relay and its differing description of the withdrawals.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool produced the advertisement, whether it was a video or still images, and where it was served (the outlets say 'social networks' and 'Internet').","The total loss: 10,000 euros (L'Est Républicain, Capital, Marie France) or 25,000 euros (Le Parisien); whether the woman recovered any money.","Exact dates: Le Parisien places the payments between June and July 2025, while L'Est Républicain of 7 June 2026 says she was defrauded 'this week', which may refer to the complaint; recorded as June 2025 at month precision.","Whether anyone has been identified or charged; the state of the investigation after June 2026.","The CNews article relayed by Marie France was not located; the ICI (France Bleu) report cited by Le Parisien and Capital was not read."],"geography":{"basis":"The woman lives in Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Moselle) and the complaint was handled by the Pont-à-Mousson police station, which described the case; the advertisement was seen online from there. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["FR"],"affected_person_countries":["FR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Single reporting chain (Pont-à-Mousson police station via L'Est Républicain, ICI, Le Parisien, Capital, CNews/Marie France) describing a concrete loss by one identifiable but unnamed pensioner after an advertisement that the regional press, reporting the police station's warning, describe as AI-generated likenesses of two public figures; the AI impersonation is the reported entry point to the fraud. Published as a reported account with the amount discrepancy preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-07"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"L'Est Républicain, reporting the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning, says the fraud was initiated from social-media publications using avatars of public figures generated by artificial intelligence, such as Macron or Arnault; Le Parisien, citing ICI and L'Est Républicain, describes the advertisement as a deepfake, a fake video generated with AI using the avatars of real people, showing Macron and Arnault praising an investment platform. The generated likenesses impersonated those two men toward the woman (depicted_or_impersonated) and are what led her to fill in the form through which the fraudsters obtained her contact details and money. No outlet examined the advertisement, no tool is named, and no forensic finding is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Pont-à-Mousson pensioner lost her savings to a fraudulent investment platform promoted by an ad reported as AI-generated likenesses of Macron and Arnault","summary":"A retired woman in her eighties living in Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Moselle, France) responded, in summer 2025 according to Le Parisien and Capital, to an online advertisement in which AI-generated likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault promoted a lucrative investment platform. A supposed financial adviser then called her, she invested 5,000 euros, received several hundred euros of 'interest', and reinvested repeatedly until the advertisement and the site disappeared. L'Est Républicain (7 June 2026) and Capital put the loss at 10,000 euros; Le Parisien, citing ICI and L'Est Républicain, reports 25,000 euros, all her savings. The Pont-à-Mousson police station says an investigation was opened and that it receives three to five complaints a week for this kind of fraud. The account rests on the police station's warning as reported by the regional press, which describes the advertisement as AI-generated; the advertisement itself was not examined by the outlets and the quoted police statements do not mention AI.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-06-07","aiSystem":"An online advertisement in which likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault, described by the regional press, reporting the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning, as avatars generated with artificial intelligence (a 'deepfake' video, per Le Parisien), promoted a fraudulent investment platform; tool not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A pensioner in Pont-à-Mousson lost at least 10,000 euros (25,000 euros, all her savings, per Le Parisien) to a fraudulent investment platform promoted by an advertisement that the regional press, reporting the police, describe as AI-generated likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the pensioner described by the Pont-à-Mousson police station (L'Est Républicain, Le Parisien, Capital). The second complainant in L'Est Républicain lost money to a different fake-adviser fraud without any AI element and is not counted. The 'three to five complaints a week' figure is a general police statement about the fraud type and is not counted. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"FR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.estrepublicain.fr/faits-divers-justice/2026/06/07/escroquee-par-un-faux-macron-genere-par-ia-elle-perd-10-000-dans-des-placements-frauduleux","primarySourceLabel":"L'Est Républicain, 7 June 2026: Escroquée par un faux Emmanuel Macron généré par IA, elle perd 10 000 € dans des placements frauduleux","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-07T03:30:06.294009+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T07:44:15.692384+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","fake-celebrity-advertisement","investment-fraud","fraud","elderly","france","pont-a-mousson","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-gwinnett-couple-crypto-scam-ai-generated-ghost-site-800k","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A retired Georgia couple is warning others after losing their entire life savings—nearly $800,000—in an elaborate cryptocurrency scam that began with a message on WhatsApp.'; 'attempted to withdraw more money—and couldn’t. He called 911.'; 'They are working with Gwinnett County police'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'said they lost $802,000 in a cryptocurrency scam this year.'; 'inside his northeast Gwinnett County home last week.'; 'He had just tried to withdraw money from his cryptocurrency account, but couldn’t.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A couple in Gwinnett County, Georgia, lost about $800,000 (the AJC says $802,000) in a cryptocurrency scam; the husband found out when he tried to withdraw money and could not.","causal_attribution":"The couple's own account, given in separate interviews to FOX 5 and the AJC; both outlets say police are investigating, and no inspected passage from police or another origin states the amount or the failed withdrawal."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Gwinnett County police explained that while the app he was using was real, the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what he saw on the screen.'; 'He was able to identify that what I was seeing on CryptoWallet wasn’t there,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to FOX 5, Gwinnett County police explained that while the trading app was real, the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what the husband saw on his screen; the husband recalled the officer identifying that what he was seeing on the wallet was not there.","causal_attribution":"Police explanation as relayed by FOX 5, plus the husband's recollection of it to FOX 5; a Cobb County government page repeats FOX 5's summary and the AJC's legible text does not mention AI; the tool and method are not described."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The 74-year-old’s head was spinning. He felt sick.'; 'It’s teary, embarrassing. I feel ashamed.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'say the ordeal left them angry, embarrassed, and financially devastated.'; 'The couple's children have launched a GoFundMe to help them meet day-to-day expenses.'; 'investigators say in many cases like this, the victims rarely recover their funds.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The husband, 74, described feeling sick and ashamed; the couple said they were financially devastated and their children started a fundraiser for day-to-day expenses; police said victims rarely recover such funds.","causal_attribution":"The couple's accounts to two outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A retired Georgia couple is warning others after losing their entire life savings—nearly $800,000—in an elaborate cryptocurrency scam that began with a message on WhatsApp.'; 'encouraging him to invest in cryptocurrency using a mobile trading app.'; 'seeing modest returns, and even able to withdraw funds—building his trust.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to FOX 5, the couple are retired, the money was their entire life savings, and the scam began when a stranger contacted the husband on WhatsApp and encouraged him to invest through a mobile trading app, where he traded small amounts and could withdraw funds before investing more.","causal_attribution":"The couple's account to FOX 5 only."}],"effects":[{"label":"a couple lost about $800,000 in a cryptocurrency scam","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the husband describes feeling sick and ashamed; the couple's children started a fundraiser to help them meet day-to-day expenses","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-couple-loses-800k-sophisticated-cryptocurrency-scam","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29 and re-read on 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200) (published 12 June 2025). FOX 5 interviewed the couple and relays an explanation from Gwinnett County police.","independence_group":"fox5"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/gwinnett-couple-warn-others-after-losing-800k-in-cryptocurrency-scam/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read by curl on 2026-09-29 and re-read on 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200; the Internet Archive capture is scrambled the same way) (published 12 June 2025). Only the headline, caption and first paragraphs are legible; the rest of the body is served scrambled (reversed, reordered words) and could not be read. The AJC interviewed the husband separately. r.jina.ai 403.","independence_group":"ajc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance"],"unknowns":["How AI was used to generate the fake site, which tool was used and which parts of what the husband saw were generated.","Where the scammers were based.","Whether any funds were recovered or anyone charged.","When the scheme began.","Whether the AJC's scrambled body, or the WSB-TV and 11Alive reports that could not be fetched, describe the AI element independently."],"geography":{"basis":"Both outlets locate the couple in Gwinnett County, Georgia (the AJC: their northeast Gwinnett County home); where the scammers operated is unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete fraud case in which police are reported to have identified an AI-generated fake site that showed the husband false account information while he invested; the loss is the couple's own account given to two outlets, the AI element is a police explanation relayed by one of them, and the record states those limits. Reviewed on 2026-10-09 to record the AI output's relation to the harmed couple (the generated site communicated false balances to the husband).","reviewed_on":"2026-10-09"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"What the AI generated: FOX 5 relays Gwinnett County police explaining that, while the trading app was real, the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what the husband saw on the screen, and the husband recalled the officer identifying that what he was seeing on the wallet was not there (c2). Connection to the harm: police gave the ghost site as the explanation of how the scam worked, a manipulated view of his investments on the screen while he traded and invested larger amounts until he could not withdraw (c2, c4), and the couple say roughly $800,000 is gone (c1); which parts of the display were generated is not described. Relation: the generated site presented false account information to the husband, so the AI output was communicated to him (communicated_with); it impersonated no person. Limits: the attribution to AI is a police explanation relayed by one outlet; the tool, the method of generation and which parts of the display were generated are not described, and the AJC body, whose legible part does not mention AI, could not be read in full.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Georgia: a retired couple lost about $800,000 in a crypto scam that police said used an AI-generated \"ghost site\" to fake what the husband saw on screen (2025)","summary":"A retired couple in Gwinnett County, Georgia, told FOX 5 Atlanta and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in June 2025 that they had lost about $800,000 ($802,000 per the AJC), their life savings, in a cryptocurrency scam that began when a stranger contacted the husband on WhatsApp and encouraged him to trade through a mobile app. He traded and withdrew small amounts before investing more, and discovered the fraud when he could not withdraw and called 911. According to FOX 5, Gwinnett County police explained that the app was real but the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what he saw on the screen; the husband said police identified that what he was seeing on the wallet was not there. The 74-year-old said he felt sick and ashamed; the couple's children started a fundraiser for day-to-day expenses, and police said such funds are rarely recovered. The tool is not described; the AI element appears in no independently reported source (a Cobb County government page of January 2026 repeats FOX 5's summary, and the AJC's legible text does not mention AI).","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-06-12","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI tool used by scammers to generate a fake (\"ghost\") site showing false account balances on a real trading app, per Gwinnett County police as relayed by FOX 5 Atlanta","aiProduct":"Unidentified website tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A retired couple lost about $800,000, their life savings, to a crypto investment scam (their accounts to FOX 5 and the AJC); police told FOX 5 the scammers used an AI-generated fake site to show false balances. The husband describes shame and distress.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The husband and wife, who lost their joint savings (2 other people: they were deceived by the scammers' AI-made site rather than using an AI system themselves).","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"US-GA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-couple-loses-800k-sophisticated-cryptocurrency-scam","primarySourceLabel":"FOX 5 Atlanta, 12 June 2025: Georgia couple loses $800K in sophisticated cryptocurrency scam","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:10:55.774776+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-09T03:23:27.53992+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["investment-scam","cryptocurrency","whatsapp","ai-generated-site","elderly","georgia","gwinnett"]},{"id":"2025-riley-perplexity-cancer-treatment","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"death","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Opening and cancer-treatment section of the 5 January essay.","relation":"supports","source_id":"son"},{"locator":"Final account of the welfare check a week before Christmas and the listed cancer cause of death.","relation":"supports","source_id":"nyt"}],"assertion":"The son reports his father’s death in December 2025; the NYT account describes the discovery shortly before Christmas.","causal_attribution":"This evidence does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"interaction","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Section beginning “Not long after his CLL diagnosis”.","relation":"supports","source_id":"son"}],"assertion":"The son says his father used a Perplexity report to justify delaying the treatment recommended by his oncologist.","causal_attribution":"This evidence does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"independent_context","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Oncologist interview followed by the account of the researcher reading the report.","relation":"supports","source_id":"nyt"}],"assertion":"The NYT interviewed the treating oncologist and a cited researcher, who described the unsupported self-diagnosis and the AI report’s misleading use of research.","causal_attribution":"Supports misleading information and treatment delay, not a counterfactual finding that timely treatment would have prevented death."},{"id":"limits","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Final discussion beginning “I am obviously still grappling”.","relation":"supports","source_id":"son"}],"assertion":"The son says his father might have refused treatment even without AI and rejects a simple claim that AI killed him.","causal_attribution":"Documents the author’s own qualification of his causal interpretation."}],"effects":[{"label":"The son reports his father’s death in December 2025; the NYT account describes the discovery shortly before Christmas.","claim_id":"death","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"son","url":"https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/the-role-of-ai-in-the-death-of-my","kind":"first_person_account","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Full essay inspected; personal background not needed for the public account omitted.","independence_group":"riley_family"},{"id":"nyt","url":"https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/04/14/he-warned-about-the-dangers-of-ai-if-only-his-father-had-listened","kind":"reported_feature","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Full syndicated NYT article inspected, including interviews with the oncologist and cited researcher. The Star is a copy of NYT, not another reporting chain.","independence_group":"nyt_riley_reporting"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","relationships"],"unknowns":["The exact date of death is not established in the inspected bodies.","The effect of earlier treatment on survival cannot be determined from this reporting.","The complete AI report, medical chart and original research correspondence were not directly inspected by this reviewer."],"geography":{"basis":"The NYT report places the father’s illness, treatment refusal and residence in Seattle. The son’s Austin location does not locate the event. No court proceeding is identified.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"The inspected sources describe a concrete adverse event and the specific chatbot interaction at issue. The account preserves attribution and separates the reported AI connection from a finding of causation.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-05"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The son describes inspecting medical correspondence and an AI report used to justify treatment refusal. The NYT’s own interviews with the oncologist and a cited researcher add evidence that the report was misleading. Whether this changed the eventual death is unresolved and expressly qualified by the son.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"Re-checked on 2026-10-01 against the son's first-person Substack essay, The Star's syndicated copy of the New York Times feature, the Newser summary and the Parade article (the New York Times original could not be read). The syndicated Times text places the affected person in Seattle during summer 2025, the period in which he was refusing the recommended leukaemia treatment and had sent his oncologist research he had done with artificial intelligence ('dying of cancer thousands of miles away in Seattle'). That passage supports event_countries=US for the treatment refusal and decline; where he used Perplexity, and where he died, are not stated beyond his own home. The same passage, the Newser summary ('a retired neuroscientist in Seattle') and the retained record support affected_person_countries=US. No lawsuit or other court proceeding is reported in any inspected source, so court_countries is empty. The son's home in Austin, Texas and a cited researcher's office in Ohio are locations of family members and correspondents, not of the affected person, and are not used. No country outside the US appears in any inspected source.","evidence":[{"kind":"existing_record","locator":"Seattle, Washington","location":"victim_description","supports":["affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"existing_record","locator":"a 75-year-old retired neuroscientist in Seattle","location":"summary","supports":["affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"'who was – apparently – dying of cancer thousands of miles away in Seattle' and, as the next development, 'Joe had sent his oncologist research he had done with artificial intelligence, the apparent evidence for his decision to refuse the treatment'","location":"https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/04/14/he-warned-about-the-dangers-of-ai-if-only-his-father-had-listened","supports":["event_countries","affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"'75-year-old Joe Riley, a retired neuroscientist in Seattle'","location":"https://www.newser.com/story/387286/he-warns-consumers-about-ai-his-dad-died-after-relying-on-it.html","supports":["affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]}],"court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"unresolved":["event_countries=US rests on the syndicated Times passage placing the affected person in Seattle during the summer 2025 treatment-refusal period; no inspected source says where he used Perplexity, and the place of death is described only as found during a police welfare check, without a location.","No court country: no lawsuit or other court proceeding is reported in any inspected source.","The New York Times original could not be read (live HTTP 403; Internet Archive offline or returning an error page on 2026-10-01); its language is not recorded from a read body.","The row's affected_count_evidence refers to 'The complaint', but no complaint or lawsuit exists in any inspected source; this is a row-correction lead outside this metadata pass."],"reviewed_on":"2026-10-01","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/well/ai-chatbots-cancer.html","notes":"Live fetch on 2026-10-01 returned HTTP 403. Internet Archive: CDX returned HTTP 503 ('Temporarily Offline'); the 2026 capture request returned a 403 error page (425 bytes) and a retry timed out. Not read, so its language is not recorded here. The Star's copy of the same Times article was read instead.","access":"unavailable","language":null},{"url":"https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/the-role-of-ai-in-the-death-of-my","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200; html lang=en). English. Benjamin Riley's first-person essay of 5 Jan 2026: diagnoses, the Perplexity self-diagnosis report sent to the oncologist, the two cited researchers' replies and the delayed treatment. It names no city, state or country for his father's residence, treatment or death.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/04/14/he-warned-about-the-dangers-of-ai-if-only-his-father-had-listened","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-01 (HTTP 200; html lang=en). English. Syndicated copy of the New York Times feature by Teddy Rosenbluth, dated 14 Apr 2026 ('This article originally appeared in The New York Times'); same reporting chain as the Times original. Places the affected person in Seattle in summer 2025; names his oncologist's centre (Fred Hutch Cancer Center) without a city; describes the death only as found during a police welfare check and his condo, without a location. Related-story cards on the page were not used.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://www.newser.com/story/387286/he-warns-consumers-about-ai-his-dad-died-after-relying-on-it.html","notes":"Live fetch on 2026-10-01 returned HTTP 403. Read from the Internet Archive capture of 25 Sep 2026 (web.archive.org/web/20260925104927id_/...). The page declares no html lang attribute; the article text read is English. Summary of the Times report, same reporting chain; describes him as 'a retired neuroscientist in Seattle'. A related-story line mentioning another Seattle couple was not used.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://parade.com/health/ai-medical-self-diagnosis-risks-joe-riley-story","notes":"Live fetch on 2026-10-01 returned HTTP 403. Read from the Internet Archive capture of 25 Sep 2026 (web.archive.org/web/20260925104927id_/...; html lang=en). English. Health-advice article that retells the Times report and quotes the son's essay; gives no location for the affected person or the events.","access":"read","language":"en"}]},"name":"Son reports his father delayed cancer treatment while relying on Perplexity","summary":"A man with cancer delayed recommended treatment while relying on a Perplexity report, according to his son and subsequent New York Times reporting. The newspaper interviewed his oncologist and a researcher whose work the report misrepresented. He died in December 2025. His son expressly cautioned that AI did not simply “kill” his father and that he might have resisted treatment without it.","incidentDate":"2025-12-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-01-05","aiSystem":"Perplexity","aiProduct":"Perplexity","aiCompany":"Perplexity AI","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["death","treatment_disruption","medical_deterioration"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A man with cancer delayed recommended treatment while relying on a Perplexity report, according to his son and subsequent New York Times reporting. The newspaper interviewed his oncologist and a researcher whose work the report misrepresented. He died in December 2025. His son expressly cautioned that AI did not simply “kill” his father and that he might have resisted treatment without it.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Counts the one deceased participant described in the cited sources. This is a conservative minimum, not a complete count of relatives affected or a finding that AI caused the death.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"US-WA","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com/p/the-role-of-ai-in-the-death-of-my","primarySourceLabel":"Cognitive Resonance — 5 January 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-07-31T06:48:20.462175+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T12:33:51.861826+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["death","elderly","perplexity","medical-advice","media-coverage","us","us-wa"]}]}