Description: A retired Gwinnett County, Georgia, couple reported losing nearly $800,000 after a stranger contacted Jerry Dunaway on WhatsApp and encouraged cryptocurrency trading. Police reportedly told the couple that scammers used an AI-generated "ghost site" to manipulate the account information he saw. The specific AI tool and developer were not identified. The loss was discovered when a larger withdrawal failed.
Editor Notes: (1) Incident date anchored to the first public report because the exact date of first financial loss is not established; (2) reporting places the initial contact in 03/2025 and discovery of the loss in early 06/2025; (3) technical attribution varies across sources, with FOX 5 relaying police characterization of an AI-generated "ghost site" while other outlets use broader descriptions; (4) Incident ID created 09/08/2026.
Entities
View all entitiesAlleged: Generative AI developers developed an AI system deployed by Scammers , Cryptocurrency scammers , Investment scam operators and Cybercriminals, which harmed Jerry Dunaway , Mindy Dunaway , Financial scam victims , Cryptocurrency scam victims , Elderly individuals and Elderly investors.
Alleged implicated AI systems: WhatsApp , Fake investment platforms , Cryptocurrency trading platforms and Generative AI systems
Incident Stats
Incident ID
1681
Report Count
3
Incident Date
2025-06-12
Editors
Daniel Atherton
Incident Reports
Reports Timeline
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The Brief
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- A Georgia couple lost nearly $800,000 in a cryptocurrency scam initiated through a WhatsApp message, leaving them financially devastated.
- The scam involved a legitimate-looking mobile trading app and an AI-generated "ghost site…
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Jerry Dunaway said his heart sank while staring at the glow of a cellphone inside his northeast Gwinnett County home last week.
He had just tried to withdraw money from his cryptocurrency account, but couldn't. The 74-year-old's head was sp…
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Artificial intelligence is no longer just helping people write emails or generate images. Investigators say it's also helping scammers steal money by making fake voices, photos and phone calls look and sound frighteningly real.
For one Sout…
Variants
A "variant" is an AI incident similar to a known case—it has the same causes, harms, and AI system. Instead of listing it separately, we group it under the first reported incident. Unlike other incidents, variants do not need to have been reported outside the AIID. Learn more from the research paper.
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