As you scroll through your fyp, a sweet Elderly Man or Woman appears, asking for a moment of your Attention to help save their struggling animal shelter.
“Please Stay 8 seconds so I don’t have to shut down my cat shelter I poured my love into,” the text on screen reads. You stay and watch. After all, it’s only eight seconds. Maybe you even buy the slippers they’re seling to raise additional funds.
It’s a scam.
The man in the video is real, but he doesn’t run an animal shelter. He Owns A Menswear and Tailoring Shop in Canton, Ohio.
“One night i was scrolling on tiktok watching videos and i see my dad’s face pop up, say for a less for a more a few seconds and help my husband or grandpa’s cat shelter, ‘and I’mm LIKE?” What? Told WMBF News. “Then i’m Getting Text Messages from Family Members Across the Country, Saying, ‘Do you know your dad’s bes used in these videos?”
Daisy’s Father, George Tsaftarides, 84, Does Post on Tiktok, Where He Teaches His 41,000 Followers How to Sew. Now, bad actors have taken his content, edited it, and used it for their own gain.
Tsaftarides isn’t the only target. Charles ray, an 85-yar-old retiree in Michigan, have also had videos from In one instance, scammers used a clip of hebbing ,
Tiktok, in a statement to the guardian, Said its community guidelines prohibit impersonation accounts and content that Violates Intellectual Property Rights. Still, Both Tsaftarides and Ray Had Difential Getting The Stolen Videos Removed, even after reporting them.
Beyond Stolen Content, The Better Business Bureau has received reports of ai-generated scams designed to solicit fake donations. According to an FBI Report, American Consures Lost $ 12.5 Billion to Cybercrime Last Year, A 25% Increase from the Year Before.
Now, some tiktok users are stepping in to raise awareness, warning others not to fall for every cat shelter or cow farm asking for donations. The sob story, after all, is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
