What began as a $150 duct-cleaning offer on Facebook Marketplace left a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, woman with a $300 charge in a case that experts said may have involved an AI-generated "after" image.
She said the workers showed her a phone photo of a spotless blower motor, but when she checked the furnace herself downstairs, it was still dirty.
Here's what to know
Because both she and her son have asthma, Shernette Smith said she responded to the online ad hoping to get a proper professional cleaning, Global News reported.
Smith said two men arrived at her home on Oct. 9, remained there for about 45 minutes, and told her the blower motor was dirty and had mold. She said they then tried to sell her extra cleaning, and the final agreed price came to $300.
Only after she had paid, Smith said, did one of the workers show her a phone image of a blower motor that looked "almost new." Once the crew was gone, she checked the furnace herself.
"It was still filthy," she said. "All the dirt was still in that section where the filter goes. So that's when I knew he had scammed me."
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She got copies of the images the company had shown her. After examining the "clean" image with two students, University at Buffalo AI researcher Siwei Lyu said he found what he described as a Google synth ID watermark, which Global News said is used to identify AI-generated images.
Global News also reported that, according to Lyu, Sightengine rated the image at 99% for AI generation.
"It showed a high response that comes from a generative model," he said. "So that's our strongest evidence this image may come from AI."
Chester Wisniewski, the director of global field CISO at Sophos, told Global News he followed phone numbers tied to the duct-cleaning business to other pages advertising the same kind of service under different names.
"You know they'll all be the same group and they rotate through the names because as soon as the word gets out that they're a scam, they need a new brand," he said.
More background
The business Smith dealt with marketed itself online as a duct-cleaning company serving customers across Canada.
Global News emailed the company and called three phone numbers associated with it but received no reply.
Matt Mountain, a board member with the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, said consumers can be vulnerable in this industry because "there's no licensing requirements like plumbing or electrical."
He said a quality duct cleaning would typically take "two to four hours or more," so extremely low prices are a major warning sign.
Mountain also said some companies pressure people into paying more by using "scare tactics" about mold, sanitizing, and health claims.
AI tools can help optimize cleaner energy systems, but generative AI also relies on energy-intensive computing tied to electricity demand and water use. Misuse, security concerns, and unintended costs can grow alongside legitimate benefits when the technology is used without transparency.
What can be done?
Lyu said Smith strengthened her own case by keeping the images she had been shown. He said the tools used to review those images are not hard to access.
"All the tools we use are either open source, free, or you pay a small fee for using them," he said. "But I think the procedure is very much repeatable."
Mountain said homeowners should look for recommendations "from somebody they know and trust," especially in an industry with limited regulation.
Homeowners can also confirm the work directly instead of relying only on before-and-after photos displayed on a worker's phone.
Keeping records, including messages, invoices, and images, can be important if consumers later need to challenge questionable work. Smith said that in her case, hours of back-and-forth messages with the company resulted in a full $300 refund.
Smith said the experience will shape how she handles service appointments.
"Just make sure they're not showing you just images on their phones, because those can be manipulated."
Where can I learn more?
Deception, misleading visuals, and growing public mistrust are shaping negative public perceptions of AI.
• In Massachusetts, a man said an AI-fueled scam cost him $400,000.
• At a DeepMind partner, a fake dishwashing humanoid demonstration sparked outrage after viewers were misled.
• In California, investigators tied deceptive AI opposition emails to a campaign over gas appliances.
• Utilities are scrambling as AI data centers strain grids and disrupt home appliances.
• Growing fears that AI is coming for jobs, water, and electricity are fueling backlash.
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