AI-generated fake food photos used in restaurant refund scam in Cluj-Napoca
A pizzeria in Cluj-Napoca discovered that customer complaints with photos of defective food were generated using AI. The scammer submitted photos of burned pizza and hair in food to request refunds, but the claims were implausible—such as hair appearing in a burger when the cook was bald.
What happened
A pizzeria in Cluj-Napoca received customer complaints with photos of burned pizza and hair in food, requesting refunds. The restaurant owner refunded 40 lei for the first complaint but grew suspicious when the same customer submitted the same photo nearly three weeks later.
The restaurant staff realised the images were created with AI. One photo claimed to show hair in a burger, but the restaurant's cook was bald. The owner stated: 'The product when it leaves us we can see it, so we cannot give a burned pizza.'
Reported impact
The pizzeria received multiple complaints over two to three months using AI-generated images. Other restaurant owners reported similar experiences in comments on the pizzeria's social media warning.
The pizzeria posted a warning on social media to alert other restaurants to the scam.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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