Buddy and Creed: cat owners describe AI-image scam and gift-card demands

Edited by Scoop for theTailed Editorial Desk Published November 4, 2026

Symbolic editorial illustration of an invented cat pictured on a phone beside an empty carrier; not Buddy, Creed, an actual scam image or a reconstruction.

New BBC interviews describe the hope and pressure behind missing-cat scams. The accounts raise a crucial question: does a convincing picture prove someone has your pet?

Edited by Scoop · Published 4 November 2026 · 3-minute read

Stephanie Young thought a picture meant her missing cat Buddy had been found. Cam Chauhan described a similar rush of hope about Creed. In new BBC interviews published on 4 November, the women say images of their cats were followed by demands for gift cards before any reunion.

Young, from Birmingham, reported Buddy missing in September 2025; Chauhan's cat Creed disappeared in July 2025. Those are disappearance dates, not dates for a new theft. The fresh development is the BBC's account of how the owners were approached.

For anyone sharing a missing-pet appeal, the practical question is what an apparently convincing picture establishes. The owners' accounts, alongside charity and regulator guidance, show why a claim of possession needs a separate check.

What Buddy and Creed's owners told the BBC

According to Alice Cullinane's report, Young was asked for Apple gift cards after a proposed collection failed to happen. She said threats followed when she challenged the images' authenticity. The BBC reported that Buddy had not been found.

Chauhan said a sender wanted a £200 Apple gift card before appearing at an agreed meeting point. Her family declined. These are the owners' reported experiences; the account does not establish that the senders possessed either cat.

The RSPCA warning to check separately

The RSPCA's own phone-scam guidance warns that fraudsters can claim to have found a missing pet and seek bank details for veterinary bills or its return. The charity says it does not request money over the phone for missing pets' veterinary care.

If someone claims a missing animal is in RSPCA care, its advice is to obtain the officer's name and a reference number, then check through its national call centre. The current number is listed on the linked official page.

The RSPCA also warns that callers can imitate its displayed number. A familiar-looking incoming number therefore does not complete that check.

Why the payment request matters

The US Federal Trade Commission's pet-scam alert describes criminals manipulating pet pictures or making AI-generated images, including false claims that an animal needs emergency treatment. It flags demands that such treatment can only be paid for through gift cards, payment apps, cryptocurrency or money-transfer services.

The regulator advises slowing down and talking to someone trusted instead of accepting the caller's urgency. This is general US consumer guidance, separate from the British owners' cases; it does not independently confirm who contacted them.

Taken together, the guidance points to two checks: whether the claimed organisation or finder is genuine, and whether the payment demand is credible. Recognising a cat in a picture does not answer both.

Where UK owners can report fraud

Report Fraud's current official website provides a reporting route for people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with telephone reporting on 0300 123 2040. It directs people in Scotland to 101. Use the official page to check the route for your location.

The urgent task remains finding the missing animal. The owners' experiences show why hope and pressure can arrive in the same message. A convincing image should prompt a check, not a payment made under pressure.

Sources and update record

Published 4 November 2026. Sources checked 4 November 2026. The BBC interviews are new reporting; Buddy and Creed disappeared in September and July 2025 respectively.