Overview
- Archer, a beagle mix from Deltona, went missing Saturday night, then a caller Sunday claimed he was hit by a car and needed nearly $2,800 for surgery.
- The caller sent "proof" photos that the family later spotted as AI-made from their own posts, with mismatched fur, a 2022 X-ray, and a clinic address that was actually Deltona City Hall.
- The person demanded payment with CVS gift cards, the Cosens family refused, and a neighbor tracked the woman who had picked up Archer.
- Archer was returned Thursday morning and is safe at home, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the scam attempt.
- Sheriff Mike Chitwood says the case matches a 2025 Texas scam and the call used a spoofed number linked to a server in India, pointing to a wider AI fraud trend that experts say targets lost-pet posts.