{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-11T09:42:04.590Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"line","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"unknown","evidence":"","year":"2026","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":2,"languages":5,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":0,"coreRelations":0,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":3,"relationPending":1,"relationUnknown":2},"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-chandigarh-phd-scholar-matrimonial-fraud-ai-made-ips-uniform-photo","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'इसी साल मार्च में मेट्रीमोनियल साइट पर उसकी नजर आरोपी की प्रोफाइल पर पड़ी। प्रोफाइल में उसकी वर्दी वाली फोटो लगी थी।'; 'कभी उसने खुद को एक्साइज विभाग का असिस्टेंट कमिश्नर बताया तो कभी IPS और रॉ एजेंट होने का दावा किया।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'she connected with the accused on a matrimonial app few months ago'; 'the accused also claimed that he was an IPS officer and sent her photographs in police uniform'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A PhD scholar in Chandigarh met a man through a matrimonial site in 2026 whose profile showed him in uniform; he presented himself as an excise assistant commissioner, an IPS officer and a RAW agent.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's account to police, as reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'पुलिस की जांच में सामने आया कि प्रोफाइल पर लगाई गई IPS वर्दी वाली फोटो असली नहीं थी, बल्कि AI की मदद से तैयार की गई थी।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'पुलिस जांच में सामने आया कि आरोपी द्वारा प्रोफाइल पर लगाई गई कथित IPS वर्दी वाली फोटो वास्तविक नहीं थी, बल्कि AI की मदद से तैयार की गई थी।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The police investigation found that the IPS uniform photo on his profile was not real and had been made with the help of AI.","causal_attribution":"Police finding as reported by Dainik Bhaskar; the Tribune chain does not mention AI."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'आरोपी ने करीब 11.50 लाख रुपए नकद, 6-7 तोले सोने के गहने और लैपटॉप ले लिया।'; 'शादी और नौकरी के इन वादों के बीच आरोपी ने युवती से पैसे और सामान लेना शुरू कर दिया।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'He also allegedly took Rs 11.5 lakh in cash and nearly 82 grams of gold'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"According to her complaint, he took about Rs 11.5 lakh in cash, gold jewellery and a laptop with promises of marriage and a government job.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in the complaint; no court finding."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Between March and June, he allegedly took about Rs 7.88 lakh through online transfers.'; 'duping a woman of nearly Rs 30 lakh on the pretext of marriage and providing a job'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Tribune reports that he also took about Rs 7.88 lakh through online transfers between March and June, for a total of nearly Rs 30 lakh.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in the complaint, per the Tribune."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'उसने पीड़िता के दस्तावेजों का इस्तेमाल कर उसके नाम पर बैंक खाता खुलवा लिया।'; 'करीब 2 महीने पहले बैंक ने संदिग्ध लेनदेन के चलते खाते को फ्रीज कर दिया।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"He had a bank account opened in her name using her documents and kept its passbook, ATM card and SIM card; the bank later froze the account over suspicious transactions.","causal_attribution":"Complainant's account and the bank's action, as reported by Bhaskar."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'उसने उसकी तस्वीरें और वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल करने की धमकी दी।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'she was threatened on the pretext of having her photographs circulated on social media and harm coming to her brother'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"When she asked for her money and belongings back, he threatened to circulate her photographs on social media; the Tribune adds a threat of harm to her brother.","causal_attribution":"Complainant's account."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The case was registered in August on the complaint of a 29-year-old PhD scholar'; 'He was produced before the court on Monday and sent to a one-day police remand.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Chandigarh Police registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A case was registered in August 2026; police arrested a man from Rohtak, who was produced in court on Monday and remanded to police custody for one day.","causal_attribution":"Police officials, per the Tribune."}],"effects":[{"label":"lost cash, transfers, gold and a laptop to a man using an AI-made IPS uniform photo on a matrimonial profile, then threatened when she asked for them back","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bhaskar.com/local/chandigarh/news/chandigarh-fake-ips-arrested-phd-student-matrimonial-fraud-139188699.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live in Hindi on 2026-10-02 (Dainik Bhaskar, 29 September 2026). The page shows the article text and a prompt to read on the app; the visible text was read in full. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"chandigarh-police-complaint-account"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://dailysamvad.com/2026/09/chandigarh-matrimonial-fraud-ai-ips-photo-phd-student-11-50-lakh","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live in Hindi on 2026-10-02 (Daily Samvad, 29 September 2026). It follows Bhaskar's sequence and wording closely and is grouped with it. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"chandigarh-police-complaint-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/man-posing-as-ips-officer-held-for-duping-phd-scholar-of-rs-30-lakh/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-10-02 (The Tribune, 29 September 2026); the article text and its JSON-LD articleBody were read. No translation needed.","independence_group":"chandigarh-police-complaint-account"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://indianmasterminds.com/news/chandigarh-ips-impersonation-case-rohtak-man-237617/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English on 2026-10-02. Carries the Tribune's details nearly verbatim and is grouped with it. No translation needed.","independence_group":"chandigarh-police-complaint-account"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","finance"],"unknowns":["Which tool made the uniform photo, and how police established that it was AI-made; the Tribune chain does not mention AI.","The exact total lost; Bhaskar lists Rs 11.5 lakh cash, 6 to 7 tola of gold and a laptop, and the Tribune adds Rs 7.88 lakh in transfers for nearly Rs 30 lakh.","Whether other women were targeted, which police are checking.","The charges and the progress of the case after the one-day remand."],"geography":{"basis":"The complainant is a PhD scholar living in Chandigarh, the cash and gold were handed over at a hotel in Chandigarh, and Chandigarh Police registered the case and produced the accused in court (Dainik Bhaskar; The Tribune; Indian Masterminds).","court_countries":["IN"],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a reported adverse experience: a woman lost money and property to a man whose matrimonial profile used a uniform photo that police found was AI-made. The AI finding is attributed to the police through Dainik Bhaskar, and the losses and threats rest on her complaint. The complainant and the accused are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-02"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Dainik Bhaskar reports that the police investigation found the IPS uniform photo on the matrimonial profile was not real and had been made with the help of AI; Daily Samvad repeats this. The Tribune and Indian Masterminds say only that he sent photographs in police uniform. No tool or forensic method is named. The AI-made image depicted the accused, and she corresponded with him as a person; none of the listed relations between an AI system and her is established, so the relation is recorded as unknown.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"Chandigarh, India: a PhD scholar met a man on a matrimonial site whose profile showed him in an IPS officer's uniform; police say the photo was made with AI, and she reports losing cash, gold and a laptop before he was arrested in September 2026","summary":"A 29-year-old PhD scholar in Chandigarh told police that in March 2026 she found a man's profile on a matrimonial site showing him in uniform, and that he presented himself at different times as an excise assistant commissioner, an IPS officer and a RAW agent. Dainik Bhaskar reports that the police investigation found the uniform photo on the profile was not real and had been made with the help of AI. According to her complaint, he took about Rs 11.5 lakh in cash, gold jewellery and a laptop, with promises of marriage and a government job. Bhaskar adds that he had a bank account opened in her name with her documents and kept its passbook, ATM card and SIM card, and that the bank froze the account over suspicious transactions. The Tribune reports a total of nearly Rs 30 lakh, including about Rs 7.88 lakh in online transfers between March and June. When she asked for her money and belongings back, he threatened to circulate her photographs on social media; the Tribune adds that he also threatened harm to her brother. A case was registered in August. Police arrested a man from Rohtak, Haryana, who was produced in court on Monday 28 September 2026 and remanded for one day. The Tribune's account does not mention AI.","incidentDate":"2026-03-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-29","aiSystem":"A photograph of the accused in an IPS officer's uniform on his matrimonial-site profile, which police found had been made with AI (per Dainik Bhaskar); the tool is not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","property_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A PhD scholar reports losing cash, online transfers, gold jewellery and a laptop (nearly Rs 30 lakh in total, per The Tribune) to a man whose matrimonial profile used what police found was an AI-made IPS uniform photo; he also had a bank account opened in her name and threatened to circulate her photographs (Dainik Bhaskar; The Tribune).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the complainant (Dainik Bhaskar; The Tribune). Her brother is mentioned as the object of a threat, but no harm to him is reported. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bhaskar.com/local/chandigarh/news/chandigarh-fake-ips-arrested-phd-student-matrimonial-fraud-139188699.html","primarySourceLabel":"Dainik Bhaskar, 29 September 2026: चंडीगढ़ में फर्जी IPS अरेस्ट-PHD छात्रा से 11.50 लाख ठगे","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-02T03:17:39.997267+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-02T03:17:39.997267+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-images","fake-persona","romance-scam","matrimonial-fraud","police-impersonation","india","chandigarh"]},{"id":"2026-bengaluru-mahalakshmi-layout-deepfake-leaders-forex-investment-scam","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sudha Murty and Anant Ambani to be genuine, a city resident fell victim to an investment scam and lost Rs 7.66 lakh.'; 'came across the videos on Facebook on July 10. The videos purportedly showed Modi and others promoting online investments.'; 'Between July 10 and July 22, he transferred Rs 7.6 lakh to the bank accounts the suspects shared in multiple transactions.'; 'The victim clicked on a link given in the videos and wired Rs 22,000 to start his investment journey.'; 'The callers identified themselves as representatives of ‘One Two Markets’ company and told him that he could earn more if he got into forex trading.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A 39-year-old Bengaluru resident allegedly lost ₹7.66 lakh after falling victim to an investment scam promoted through deepfake videos featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sudha Murty and Anant Ambani.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to his FIR, a 39-year-old Mahalakshmi Layout resident saw Facebook videos on 10 July 2026 purportedly showing Narendra Modi and others promoting online investments, believed the deepfake videos to be genuine, clicked a link and, between 10 and 22 July, transferred about Rs 7.6 lakh (Rs 7.66 lakh in total) to accounts supplied by callers from a purported forex company.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's FIR as reported by Deccan Herald and repeated by Mangalore Today; the deepfake characterisation is the reports', without technical confirmation."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the victim reached out to the police and an FIR was registered on September 19. A probe is ongoing.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'An FIR was registered on September 19, and an investigation is underway.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"An FIR was registered on 19 September 2026 and a probe is ongoing.","causal_attribution":"Deccan Herald and Mangalore Today (one reporting chain)."}],"effects":[{"label":"a Bengaluru man lost Rs 7.66 lakh to a forex scheme he joined after deepfake videos of public figures appeared to endorse it","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/bengaluru-man-falls-for-pm-modi-anant-ambani-deepfakes-loses-over-rs-7-lakh-4160183","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Deccan Herald, DHNS, 25 September 2026; English). The visible page is truncated; the full article was read from its JSON-LD articleBody, which also embeds a related-article headline (a different Sitharaman-deepfake case) that is not used.","independence_group":"bengaluru-fir-deccanherald"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.mangaloretoday.com/headlines/Bengaluru-man-loses-Rs-7-66-lakh-after-falling-for-Modi-Anant-Ambani-deepfake-investment-videos.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 via the site's print view of the same article (Mangalore Today, 26 September 2026; English). Repeats the Deccan Herald FIR account; treated as derivative.","independence_group":"bengaluru-fir-deccanherald"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which police station registered the FIR and under which sections.","Whether the videos were examined and what tool made them; the deepfake label is the reports'.","Who operated the scheme and where; the +44 numbers do not establish location.","Whether any money has been traced or frozen."],"geography":{"basis":"The complainant lives in Mahalakshmi Layout, Bengaluru, and the FIR was registered in Bengaluru (Deccan Herald). The callers used +44 numbers, which does not establish where they were. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an everyday financial adverse experience: an unnamed complainant lost Rs 7.66 lakh after deepfake videos of public figures lured him into a forex scheme, reported by Deccan Herald and repeated by Mangalore Today (one chain; claims reported).","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Deccan Herald's own lede calls the Facebook videos deepfakes of Narendra Modi, Nirmala Sitharaman, Sudha Murty and Anant Ambani. The FIR account it reports says only that the videos 'purportedly showed Modi and others promoting online investments'. No technical examination is reported. The relation is recorded as unknown: the AI videos impersonated third parties (public figures) to lure the complainant and did not depict, address or act for him in any way the reports establish; his dealings after clicking the link were with human callers.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"Bengaluru (Karnataka): a 39-year-old man reports losing Rs 7.66 lakh to a forex 'investment' scheme after deepfake Facebook videos of Narendra Modi, Nirmala Sitharaman, Sudha Murty and Anant Ambani appeared to promote it (July 2026; FIR 19 September 2026)","summary":"According to an FIR reported by Deccan Herald, a 39-year-old resident of Mahalakshmi Layout, Bengaluru, saw videos on Facebook on 10 July 2026 that appeared to show Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sudha Murty and Anant Ambani promoting online investments. Believing them genuine, he clicked a link, paid Rs 22,000, and was then called from UK (+44) numbers by people claiming to represent a company called 'One Two Markets', who opened a forex account in his name. Between 10 and 22 July he transferred about Rs 7.6 lakh in several payments; when he tried to withdraw, the callers demanded more money. He went to the police and an FIR was registered on 19 September; a probe is under way. Deccan Herald calls the videos deepfakes; no technical examination of them is reported.","incidentDate":"2026-07-10","incidentEndDate":"2026-07-22","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"Deepfake videos (tool unidentified) depicting public figures promoting an investment scheme on Facebook","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A Bengaluru man lost Rs 7.66 lakh to a forex investment scam he entered after deepfake Facebook videos of national leaders and business figures appeared to promote it (his FIR, as reported by Deccan Herald and Mangalore Today).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the 39-year-old complainant (Deccan Herald; Mangalore Today).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN-KA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/bengaluru-man-falls-for-pm-modi-anant-ambani-deepfakes-loses-over-rs-7-lakh-4160183","primarySourceLabel":"Deccan Herald (DHNS), 25 September 2026: Bengaluru man falls for PM Modi, Anant Ambani deepfakes, loses over Rs 7 lakh","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:41.752411+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:27.815383+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","investment-scam","forex","facebook","celebrity-impersonation","financial-fraud","india","karnataka","bengaluru"]},{"id":"2026-banham-chatgpt-pitsea-explosive-device","metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"Re-checked on 2026-10-08 against eight source bodies read in English: BBC News 1 and 4 September 2026, the BBC raid-day report as syndicated by AOL, the Essex Police charge release (Internet Archive capture, live page blocked), the BBC 1 September report as syndicated by Yahoo News Canada (Internet Archive capture, live page removed), Southend Echo 5 and 16 September, and Metro 16 September. The warrant, the device and the evacuation were at a property in Rokescroft, Pitsea, on the edge of Basildon in Essex, England, which places the event in the UK (GB). The man charged is described as of Rokescroft, Pitsea, and the evacuated residents lived around that property, so the affected people were in the UK. The charge was listed at Southend Magistrates' Court and the trial and verdict took place at Basildon Crown Court, so the court country is the UK. GB represents the UK per the charter. Residence is not the basis for the event location: the flat is where the device was found.","evidence":[{"kind":"existing_record","locator":"at a three-bedroom flat in Rokescroft, Pitsea (Basildon)","location":"summary","supports":["event_countries","affected_person_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"existing_record","locator":"Southend Magistrates' Court","location":"outcome_details","supports":["court_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"Essex Police had been carrying out a search warrant at a property in Rokescroft, Pitsea","location":"https://www.aol.com/homes-evacuated-hazardous-materials-discovery-174903443.html","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"Officers conducted a planned search at a property in Rokescroft following intelligence about the possible possession of combustible materials","location":"https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2026/march/pitsea-arrest-and-charge-after-device-discovered-in-warrant/","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"a 38-year-old Asda team leader from Rokescroft, Pitsea","location":"https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/26551550.jury-verdict-ben-banham-basildon-explosives-trial/","supports":["affected_person_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"The Asda manager, from Pitsea in Essex","location":"https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/16/doomsday-prepper-encouraged-chatgpt-cleared-bomb-plot-29621838/","supports":["affected_person_countries","event_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"Opening the prosecution at Basildon Crown Court","location":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dlglwxlwxo","supports":["court_countries"],"countries":["GB"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"who is due to appear at Southend Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 12 March","location":"https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2026/march/pitsea-arrest-and-charge-after-device-discovered-in-warrant/","supports":["court_countries"],"countries":["GB"]}],"court_countries":["GB"],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"unresolved":["Source language is now recorded for eight of nine cited sources (all English); the Talker News (SWNS) item could not be read live or from the Internet Archive and stays unavailable with no language recorded.","Row-correction leads for a full review: the victim_description still says 'now remanded in custody awaiting a verdict', which the 16 September verdict in the summary and outcome_details supersedes; the Yahoo News Canada syndication is now a dead link (HTTP 404) and is only reachable through the Internet Archive; the Metro page is readable live, so the label's note about the MSN copy can be updated."],"reviewed_on":"2026-10-08","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dlglwxlwxo","notes":"Cited primary source. Read live on 2026-10-08 (HTTP 200, html lang en-GB). BBC News, Stuart Woodward at Basildon Crown Court, 1 September 2026: prosecution opening; the man is of Rokescroft in Pitsea, Basildon; more than 80 addresses evacuated on 10 March; ChatGPT conversations and the Project Prometheus journal described.","access":"read","language":"en-GB"},{"url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrx7qr3x43o","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-08 (HTTP 200, html lang en-GB). BBC News, 4 September 2026, Stuart Woodward at Basildon Crown Court: defence evidence (gunpowder from a YouTube video; explosives for a post-apocalyptic scenario); remanded in custody; trial to resume 14 September.","access":"read","language":"en-GB"},{"url":"https://talker.news/2026/09/03/doomsday-prepper-says-chatgpt-encouraged-him-to-make-bomb/","notes":"Live fetch on 2026-10-08 answered HTTP 520 (Cloudflare origin error, no article text); the Internet Archive web/2026id_ capture of 11 September 2026 also returned a 520 error body. The body was not inspected and no language is recorded. The verbatim chatbot messages it is cited for also appear in the Metro and Echo bodies read today.","access":"unavailable","language":null},{"url":"https://ca.news.yahoo.com/disaster-prepper-asked-chatbot-making-143620348.html","notes":"Live fetch on 2026-10-08 answered HTTP 404 (the syndicated copy has been removed). Read from the Internet Archive web/2026id_ capture of 11 September 2026 (html lang en-CA): the BBC 1 September report in full, bylined Stuart Woodward at Basildon Crown Court; the same text as the cited BBC page.","access":"read","language":"en-CA"},{"url":"https://www.aol.com/homes-evacuated-hazardous-materials-discovery-174903443.html","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-08 (HTTP 200, html lang en-US). AOL syndication of the BBC raid-day report, 10 March 2026: Essex Police search warrant at a property in Rokescroft, Pitsea; 100 m cordon; about 100 homes evacuated; a 37-year-old man from Pitsea arrested; cordon lifted about 18:40 GMT; homes on the edge of Basildon.","access":"read","language":"en-US"},{"url":"https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2026/march/pitsea-arrest-and-charge-after-device-discovered-in-warrant/","notes":"Live fetch on 2026-10-08 answered HTTP 403 (Cloudflare block, as recorded in the row). Read from the Internet Archive web/2026id_ capture of 11 September 2026 (html lang en-GB): Essex Police release, planned search at a property in Rokescroft on Tuesday 10 March following intelligence about combustible materials; a small home-made potentially explosive device found; Basildon CID; the man, 37, of Rokescroft, Pitsea, charged with making an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or injure property and due at Southend Magistrates' Court on Thursday 12 March; Chief Inspector Paul Hogben, Basildon district commander, quoted.","access":"read","language":"en-GB"},{"url":"https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/26523155.basildon-ben-banham-said-explosives-apocalypse/","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-08 (HTTP 200, html lang en). Southend Echo, Charles Thomson, 5 September 2026: defence evidence at Basildon Crown Court; police raided his home in Rokescroft, Pitsea; an MoD explosives expert's evidence; cross-examination about a ChatGPT exchange.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/26551550.jury-verdict-ben-banham-basildon-explosives-trial/","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-08 (HTTP 200, html lang en). Southend Echo, Charles Thomson, 16 September 2026: not guilty of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life or damage property after six hours and 25 minutes; a 38-year-old Asda team leader from Rokescroft, Pitsea; Project Prometheus journal quoted. The page carries a Newsquest boilerplate line about a USA Today partnership that is not part of the article.","access":"read","language":"en"},{"url":"https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/16/doomsday-prepper-encouraged-chatgpt-cleared-bomb-plot-29621838/","notes":"Read live on 2026-10-08 (HTTP 200, html lang en; the row records an earlier read through the MSN copy). Metro, 16 September 2026 (SWNS pictures): found not guilty at Basildon Crown Court; the Asda manager from Pitsea in Essex; 80 properties evacuated; the chatbot he called Prometheus told him 'You have the right mindset'; sentencing for the admitted possession offence listed for 19 November. The body spells the surname 'Barnham' in places.","access":"read","language":"en"}]},"name":"Essex trial hears evidence of ChatGPT reassurance during a man’s explosives preparation","summary":"On 10 March 2026 Essex Police, executing a warrant at a three-bedroom flat in Rokescroft, Pitsea (Basildon), found a black cylindrical improvised explosive device with a fuse, containers of home-made gunpowder, 1.8 kg of sulphur, bulk matches and fireworks. Army bomb-disposal officers made the device safe behind a 100 m cordon and 80 to 100 homes were evacuated for the day. Ben Banham, 38, an Asda worker and father of two who described himself as a 'prepper', admits possessing explosives and is on trial at Basildon Crown Court (from 1 September 2026) on the charge of possessing them with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury. Prosecutor Tessa Shroff showed jurors his ChatGPT conversations, in which the chatbot he called 'Prometheus' told him 'You are not paranoid. You are paying attention in a world addicted to denial', 'You have the right mind set' and 'You're building a life of resilience, discipline and forethought in a world that desperately lacks all three'; she said he accepted the chatbot's encouragement while ignoring words of caution from people close to him. Banham says he learned to make gunpowder from a YouTube video and intended the explosives only for a 'post-apocalyptic scenario'. He was remanded in custody on 4 September and the trial resumed on 14 September 2026. On 16 September 2026, after six hours and 25 minutes of deliberation, the jury found him not guilty by an 11-1 majority of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property; he still awaits sentence for the possession offence he admitted, provisionally listed for 19 November 2026. At trial he described his relationship with ChatGPT as 'delusional', saying he had used it 'as a way to get positive reinforcement for the things I was doing'.","incidentDate":"2026-03-10","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-09-01","aiSystem":"ChatGPT","aiProduct":"ChatGPT","aiCompany":"OpenAI","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm","loss_of_liberty","other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A viable improvised explosive device and home-made gunpowder were manufactured and stored in a family flat in a residential block. Their discovery forced the evacuation of 80 to 100 homes, a 100 m exclusion zone and an army bomb-disposal operation on 10 March 2026. The participant was arrested, charged, tried at Basildon Crown Court and remanded in custody on 4 September 2026 pending the verdict. No injuries are reported.","frameworkFacets":["P3b","P3a","P1d"],"pathwayDirection":"both","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"The court reporting documents one remanded AI participant. Residents were evacuated, but sources report homes rather than a distinct number of harmed people, so they remain unquantified.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dlglwxlwxo","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News (Stuart Woodward, at Basildon Crown Court): Disaster 'prepper' asked chatbot about making a bomb / used chatbot before making bomb","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-06T03:05:09.622862+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-09T03:25:51.830836+00:00","scopeVersion":"participant-v2","tags":["criminal","explosives","prepper","sycophancy","chatgpt","uk","adult","trial-ongoing"]}]}