SocietyNova Scotia woman raises alarm over suspected AI-assisted air-duct cleaning scam

Shernette Smith, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, became suspicious of photos sent as proof that an air-duct cleaning job was done. She says she checked the work and found dirt still in the filter area, realizing she had been scammed. Researcher Siwei Lyu found a Google SynthID watermark in one photo, a marker used to identify AI content.