An apparently new text scam claiming a partner is cheating is designed to break trust before facts have a chance to catch up.
In one Reddit thread, that pressure took an even stranger turn when the accusation appeared to come from a fake IG profile using AI-generated pictures.
Here's what to know
According to a post in the r/Scams subreddit, the Instagram account stood out first because it looked fake, used what the poster believed were AI-generated pictures, and included an OF-type link in its bio.
The same person was also said to have contacted them by text from what the poster described as a Google Voice number, accusing their boyfriend of being involved with a coworker.
The community's concern quickly turned from whether the claim was true to whether the supposed "evidence" was really the setup for a scam. Commenters were skeptical because of the mismatch between confidence and proof.
The original poster revealed: "She didn't have any proof of anything. Just hearsay. And my bf offered to let me go through anything I wanted."
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
The account also appeared to mix real details with false ones, referencing his work history and a real coworker while incorrectly claiming the couple was engaged.
More background
One commenter had a theory for how the potential scammers nailed some of the details.
"Does he have a LinkedIn?" they asked. "That might be where they got the information regarding his job and coworkers."
Another commenter agreed, saying the components of the outreach had a strong scent of a scam.
"The fake profile + OF link is the scam, and the coworker details were probably scraped from socials or LinkedIn to make the bait feel personal," another commenter added.
Commenters also suspected the next step could be an attempt to charge money to release supposed proof of cheating. In this case, commenters returned to a simpler point. If someone truly wanted to warn a stranger, this wasn't how they'd do it.
"Either way it's a scam, whether this person actually knows them or not," one commenter assessed. "If they were actually as disgusted and concerned as they stated, you'd likely already have the evidence."
What can be done?
The original poster added in a follow-up that the sender claimed the accusation had come from someone else who did not want to speak directly and "asked me not to mention this conversation when I 'dump' him."
This prompted more red flags from the subreddit, which saw it as another Hail Mary from the scammer. Commenters suggested that it was time for the OP to end the discussion.
"Stop chatting with her and block her number, block her on Instagram, block her everywhere," one wrote.
The OP took them up on the idea.
"The point I was trying to make is that there is no evidence and this person was caught in a lie," they wrote. "Block and delete it is."
Where can I learn more?
AI can make scams and misinformation feel a lot more personal.
• In Massachusetts, a man lost $400,000 to an AI-built persona called "Eliza" in a global scam.
• Google says an alleged ring used 9,000 fake sites to funnel victims into AI-powered scams.
• A creator showed how a scammer replaced her using gen AI to imitate her online.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
