Customer busted for using AI image of burnt pizza to scam restaurant

Generative artificial intelligence is driving an unprecedented wave of scams, from vocal clone politician phone calls to uncomfortably realistic deepfake images. While most of these are designed and coordinated by groups of bad actors hoping to cast the widest net possible, some are the work of individuals simply attempting to pull one over on specific targets. Many AI con jobs are more convincing than others, but one pizzeria owner in Los Angeles almost immediately suspected a recent patron’s complaint once they saw the supposed “evidence.”

Customer targets L.A. pizza shop with AI photo scam

After receiving their pizza from Masa of Echo Park via DoorDash, a customer named “Dana B” demanded a full refund for what they claimed was an inedible, burnt pie. Accompanying their grammatically questionable message was a picture of what appeared to be a charred Chicago-style pizza.

“its burnt to heck. burnt. black. cant eat it. dont wanna eat cancer…,” they wrote in their complaint.

However, Masa owner Rhonda Reynolds knew almost instantly that the allegation was categorically false.

“It was impossible. It was absolutely impossible,” she told local news outlet KTLA 5.

Reynolds uploaded the photo into an app called “Is This AI,” which offered a 96 percent certainty that the picture was faked. She even checked the restaurant’s kitchen security footage to be sure. The footage showed an employee boxing a clearly uncharred pizza destined for Dana B.Masa then laid out the facts in a complaint that countered the first complaint, and the app soon reversed its automatic refund initially dispersed to the scammer. But while justice was served this time, Reynolds remains worried that the experience is only a preview of AI cons to come.

“If this is a new frontier, we’re not gonna make through to the other side if all of our time is spent [on scams],” she said.