Two Ohio restaurant workers are accused of using AI to fabricate a robbery report that sent law enforcement scrambling to what appeared to be a serious situation.
The Elyria Police Department responded to a Monday morning report that multiple masked suspects were in the act of robbing Rubin’s Deli in suburban Cleveland.
“Given the seriousness of the report and the potential danger to the public, all available Elyria police officers and detectives responded immediately,” the Elyria Police Department said in a press release hours after the incident.
Officers responded within minutes and quickly secured the scene, only to learn the call was a prank.
“Further investigation revealed the hoax involved the use of artificial intelligence-generated content to enhance the credibility of the false scenario,” police said.
The call came from the owner of the business, who contacted police after being sent a photo that he was led to believe came from the shop’s security cameras and showed the masked suspects, according to Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO.
That photo later turned out to have been generated by one of the employees using ChatGPT and sent to a second employee, who in turn sent it to the owner.
Cops identified Luis Acevedo Jr., 40, and Todd Durst, 45, as the suspects in the fake heist. Durst was arrested on the scene, while Acevedo Jr. fled and was still being sought by law enforcement.
Authorities said both men will be charged with felony counts of swatting and obstructing official business, as well as a misdemeanor charge of inducing panic.
Police claim the suspects’ alleged crime “reflects a disturbing trend” of people using AI tools to simulate emergencies to prank friends, family members and co-workers.
