- The scam is AI-generated and highly targeted. Fraudsters created a fake Facebook post impersonating the City of Gretna in a Nebraska craft fairs group, then directly messaged interested vendors to solicit money, banking information, and gift cards.
- Small towns are especially vulnerable. AI expert Victor Winter warns that smaller communities are being specifically targeted because their tech infrastructure tends to be weaker than larger cities and their public records are easier to obtain — giving scammers more material to craft convincing impersonations.
- Verification is the best defense. Both city officials and Winter stress that if something seems suspicious, the simplest protection is to call directly and verify. The City of Gretna also reminds residents it will never request payment over the phone or through gift cards.
GRETNA, Neb., (KMTV) — The City of Gretna is warning residents about an AI-generated Facebook post targeting vendors in a Nebraska craft fairs group.
"A Facebook post that was posted in a Nebraska craft fairs group claimed that they were running the vendor sign ups for the holiday market and when someone would comment and state that they were interested in a being a vendor this page would messages them and then ask for money banking information, gift cards that sort of thing," said Deputy City Administrator for the City of Gretna, Tori Schuetz.
City officials say one or two people have already fallen victim to the scam.
Victor Winter, a computer science professor and AI expert at the University of Nebraska, said AI-generated scams are increasing and will likely become more sophisticated.
"The technology is advancing on a per month basis at this point so whatever you thought was true a couple months ago is no longer true. This is the thing that people have a difficult time wrapping their heads around and I would say at this point a majority of whats on social media is AI," Winter said.
Winter said small towns are particularly vulnerable to these types of scams.
"Small towns are a target right now for a couple of reasons one is their tech infrastructure tends to be softer than larger cities. You also have a situation where public records are easier to acquire," Winter said.
His advice to anyone who receives a suspicious message is simple.
"Call the person if you know the person call them, don't just click on something like this," Winter said.
The City of Gretna says it will post upcoming events to both its Facebook page and it's website and will never ask for payment over the phone or through gift cards. Anyone with doubts is encouraged to call the city directly to verify.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
