Nova Scotia Woman Alleges Duct-Cleaning Company Used AI-Generated Photos to Fake Service
A Dartmouth, N.S., woman says Fresh Air Quality used AI-generated images to falsely claim it cleaned her furnace blower motor. Experts confirmed the photos contained digital watermarks and scored 99 per cent as AI-generated. The company refunded her $300 after complaints, but police classified the incident as a civil matter.
Shernette Smith of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, alleges that a duct-cleaning company used artificial intelligence to fabricate proof that it had completed work at her home. Smith hired Fresh Air Quality after seeing an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace offering duct cleaning for $150.
On Oct. 9, two workers from the company visited Smith’s home. They told her that her furnace blower motor was filthy and mouldy, prompting her to agree to an upsell from the original $150 quote. Smith ultimately paid $300 for the cleaning job, which lasted an estimated 45 minutes.
Following the appointment, the workers showed Smith a photograph of what they claimed was her newly cleaned motor. However, when Smith inspected the unit herself, she found the motor remained dirty with all the dirt still in place.
AI researcher Siwei Lyu, of the University at Buffalo, examined the photograph of the clean motor provided by the workers. Lyu identified a Google SynthID watermark embedded in the image and noted that it received a 99 per cent AI-generated score from the detection tool Sightengine.
Cybersecurity expert Chester Wisneki, associated with Sophos, investigated the company further. Wisneki traced phone numbers linked to Fresh Air Quality to other pages offering similar services under different names, using identical customer videos. Estimates suggest illegitimate firms may operate under as many as 20 different brands.
After Smith repeatedly complained about the service, Fresh Air Quality refunded her the $300. She reported the incident to the Halifax Regional Police, who stated that her case is considered a civil matter rather than fraud. Police declined to pursue criminal charges, classifying the dispute as civil.