{"id":436667,"date":"2022-04-24T12:23:01","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T09:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/"},"modified":"2022-04-24T12:23:01","modified_gmt":"2022-04-24T09:23:01","slug":"scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/","title":{"rendered":"#Scammers used AI-generated faces to pose as a Boston law firm"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5646821d7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5646821d7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/#%E2%80%9CScammers_used_AI-generated_faces_to_pose_as_a_Boston_law_firm%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Scammers used AI-generated faces to pose as a Boston law firm&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/#DMCA_copyright_infringement\" >DMCA copyright infringement<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/#A_decent_website_with_little_depth\" >A decent website with little depth<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/#A_parked_domain\" >A parked domain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\/#GAN_faces\" >GAN faces<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CScammers_used_AI-generated_faces_to_pose_as_a_Boston_law_firm%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Scammers used AI-generated faces to pose as a Boston law firm&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n                            Nicole Palmer is a lawyer who graduated from Columbia University. Her profile states that she \u201cspecializes in the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lication and protection of industrial design\u201d and has \u201cbeen building her career successfully for 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only problem is that she doesn\u2019t exist. And she helped me uncover an online scam operation involved in shady activities, including extorting backlinks from bloggers and website owners.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve spent a good part of the past week investigating Arthur Davidson, the so-called \u201claw firm\u201d Nicole works for. What I found was unsettling, a testament to how advances in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> have made it easy for scammers to set up legitimate-looking outfits to prey on their victims.<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully, my findings will help others become more aware and protect themselves against similar scams.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DMCA_copyright_infringement\"><\/span>DMCA copyright infringement<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On April 13, Nicole emailed me a \u201cDMCA Copyright Infringement Notice,\u201d presenting herself as a \u201cTrademark Attorney of Arthur Davidson Legal Services\u201d and claiming that an image I had used in TechTalks belonged to one of her clients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur client, is happy for their image to be used and shared across the internet. However, proper image credit is due for past or ongoing usage,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>I had seven days to add the image credit to the \u201coffending page\u201d with a link to the homepage of her client\u2019s website, she added. \u201cOtherwise, we are required to take legal action.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385250 js-lazy\" alt=\"SCAM \" width=\"796\" height=\"447\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-796x447.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-796x447.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-280x157.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-481x270.jpg 481w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email.jpg 1392w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385250\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-796x447.jpg\" alt=\"SCAM \" width=\"796\" height=\"447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-796x447.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-280x157.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-481x270.jpg 481w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-email.jpg 1392w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>(I intentionally blacked out the client\u2019s name and website above for reasons I will explain soon.)<\/p>\n<p>The email ended with references to Section 512(c) of DMCA and a professional signature. It looked legit. The one thing that seemed a bit off was a link to Imgur, an image-sharing website where anyone can upload images without even setting up a profile. (So it was perfectly possible that they had downloaded the image from my website, uploaded it on Imgur, and then claimed that their image was there before mine.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385252 js-lazy\" alt=\"Scam\" width=\"796\" height=\"613\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-796x613.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-796x613.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-273x210.jpg 273w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-175x135.jpg 175w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-351x270.jpg 351w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature.jpg 1180w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385252\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-796x613.jpg\" alt=\"Scam\" width=\"796\" height=\"613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-796x613.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-273x210.jpg 273w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-175x135.jpg 175w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature-351x270.jpg 351w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Nicole-Palmer-signature.jpg 1180w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>I usually keep track of the sources of the images I use on my website and try to make sure that I do not use anyone\u2019s intellectual property without permission. But mistakes do happen, and I was more than happy to double-check my source and provide attribution to the client if I had wronged them.<\/p>\n<p>As I had guessed, the image came from Pexels, an online, license-free stock photo library. I emailed Nicole back with a link to the image and the Creative Commons license that states that no attribution is required. I asked for clarification on why she believed the image belonged to her client.<\/p>\n<p>And then I waited.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_decent_website_with_little_depth\"><\/span>A decent website with little depth<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not having heard anything, I circled back the next day, asking whether she was dropping the case. At this point, I was starting to suspect that this was a bullying tactic to force me to insert a backlink to her client\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>One of the methods to improve your site\u2019s position in search engine result pages is to have high-authority websites link back to your web pages. I\u2019ve had previous encounters with companies or individuals who had tried to sneak links into my website. But doing so with a legal facade was new to me.<\/p>\n<p>I decided to take a closer look at the website of Arthur Davidson Legal Services. Obviously, whoever had set up the website had done a good job. First, the domain name (arthurdavidson.com) was well-chosen, suggesting that the website and the firm have existed for a long time, perhaps since the early dot-com days.<\/p>\n<p>According to the website, Arthur Davidson has been working since 2009, involved in 420 cases, and achieved 380 wins (approx. 90 percent success rate).<\/p>\n<p>The website also lists a Boston phone number and an address at 177 Huntington Ave, a building that houses several other law firms.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385254 js-lazy\" alt=\"Arthur-Davidson-website\" width=\"796\" height=\"326\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-796x326.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-796x326.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-280x115.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-270x111.jpg 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-540x221.jpg 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website.jpg 1392w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385254\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-796x326.jpg\" alt=\"Arthur-Davidson-website\" width=\"796\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-796x326.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-280x115.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-270x111.jpg 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website-540x221.jpg 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Arthur-Davidson-website.jpg 1392w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>The website has a blog with several articles, including one that conveniently says copyright infringement can result in a $10,000 fine.<\/p>\n<p>The about page shows the profiles of 18 lawyers, graduates of Northeastern, Brown, Princeton, Harvard, and other renowned universities. But unlike other professional websites, none of the lawyers lists their LinkedIn profile on the website.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_parked_domain\"><\/span>A parked domain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A closer investigation revealed many more red flags. First, I looked up the domain\u2019s record on ICANN\u2019s website (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). Apparently, Arthur Davidson had been working for 13 years but just decided to set up their domain in February 2022.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385257 js-lazy\" alt=\"ICANN-arthurdavidson\" width=\"796\" height=\"615\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-796x615.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-796x615.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-272x210.jpg 272w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-175x135.jpg 175w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-350x270.jpg 350w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson.jpg 1392w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385257\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-796x615.jpg\" alt=\"ICANN-arthurdavidson\" width=\"796\" height=\"615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-796x615.jpg 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-272x210.jpg 272w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-175x135.jpg 175w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson-350x270.jpg 350w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/ICANN-arthurdavidson.jpg 1392w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>And then I looked up the website\u2019s record on the Wayback Machine (archive.org). Apparently, the domain had been parked between 2005 and 2022.<\/p>\n<p>(To be fair, there could be a logical explanation to this: The law firm might have used another domain name and recently purchased arthurdavidson.com from its previous owner.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385258 js-lazy\" alt=\"Wayback\" width=\"796\" height=\"228\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-796x228.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-796x228.webp 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-280x80.webp 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-270x77.webp 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-540x155.webp 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson.webp 1392w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385258\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-796x228.webp\" alt=\"Wayback\" width=\"796\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-796x228.webp 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-280x80.webp 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-270x77.webp 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson-540x155.webp 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/wayback-machine-arthurdavidson.webp 1392w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>And then I Googled the firm\u2019s name and looked up the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> section. Logically, a firm that houses so many high-profile lawyers and claims to have won \u201cmulti-million dollar\u201d lawsuits on behalf of its clients should have at least been mentioned in the news a few times.<\/p>\n<p>No results.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GAN_faces\"><\/span>GAN faces<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Almost sure that this was a scam, I took a closer look at the \u201cAbout Us\u201d page. The photos of the lawyers seemed a bit out of place. I opened Nicole\u2019s photo in full size on a separate tab.<\/p>\n<p>What I saw was an image created by a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2018\/05\/28\/generative-adversarial-networks-artificial-intelligence-ian-goodfellow\/\">generative adversarial network<\/a>, a deep learning model that can be trained to create faces, art, or anything else.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1385259 js-lazy\" alt=\"nicole-palmer-2\" width=\"701\" height=\"702\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2.webp 701w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-210x210.webp 210w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-135x135.webp 135w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-96x96.webp 96w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-270x270.webp 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-192x192.webp 192w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1385259\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2.webp\" alt=\"nicole-palmer-2\" width=\"701\" height=\"702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2.webp 701w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-210x210.webp 210w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-135x135.webp 135w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-96x96.webp 96w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-270x270.webp 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/nicole-palmer-2-192x192.webp 192w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>GANs have come a long way since they were invented in 2014. Today, they produce higher resolution and more natural images than their earlier versions. There is a website called <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/this-person-does-not-exist.com\/en\">This Person Does Not Exist<\/a> that generates GAN faces. Some of them are eerily convincing.<\/p>\n<p>But GANs still create unnatural artifacts that can be easily detected if you\u2019re familiar with the technology. You can easily spot irregularities in places such as earrings, shadings on the side of the face, edge of hair and beard, wrinkles, borders of eyebrows, and the sides of eyeglasses.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385260 js-lazy\" alt=\"GAN Faces\" width=\"796\" height=\"396\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-796x396.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-796x396.webp 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-280x139.webp 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-270x135.webp 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-540x270.webp 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces.webp 1019w\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-featured_img wp-image-1385260\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-796x396.webp\" alt=\"GAN Faces\" width=\"796\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-796x396.webp 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-280x139.webp 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-270x135.webp 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces-540x270.webp 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/gan-faces.webp 1019w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>With clear evidence that this was indeed a scam operation, I decided to investigate Arthur Davidson and report my findings. I reached out to the client on behalf of whom Nicole had contacted me on April 16, asking them to clarify their relationship with Arthur Davidson. On April 18, a support agent replied that they had no relationship with the law firm.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after, the Arthur Davidson website was shut down. (You can still see a version of it on the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220325170522\/https:\/arthurdavidson.com\/\">Wayback Machine<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>Even though I suspect that the client was in fact in touch with the so-called law firm, since I have no concrete evidence, I decided to not mention them.<\/p>\n<p>Closing thoughts<br \/>My suspicion is that Arthur Davidson was run by a grey hat SEO team. For now, they\u2019re down. But I\u2019m sure they will crop up under a different name soon. Looking back, what they did was not very difficult. All they needed was some web copy for law firms (easy to obtain off the web and reword), a few template DCMA emails (available for free), a few GAN-generated faces (there\u2019s a website for that), some web design knowledge, and a bit of money to buy a phone number and a domain. And they were using a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> engineering tactic to cause a sense of urgency (seven-day deadline, legal action, etc.) in their victims to act without thinking.<\/p>\n<p>I hope these findings will help other website owners avoid falling victim to similar scams. All the tools I used to investigate Arthur Davidson are free and easy to use and you can do it for yourself. Don\u2019t panic. Do your research, and you\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n<p>A note on anonymity: I have no issue with people wanting to hide their identity online. There are dozens of legitimate reasons to do so\u2014but scamming other people is not one of them.<\/p>\n<p>As to companies that are considering using the services of such scammers, my advice is: don\u2019t. The next person might not be as forgiving as I was. In my own experience, there is no shortcut to gaining authority on the internet. Create great content, develop your network, and find legitimate ways to distribute your content, and people will give you backlinks. Shady shortcuts might end up doing more damage than good to your website and business.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally written by Ben Dickson and published by Ben Dickson on<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/\">TechTalks<\/a>, a publication that examines trends in technology, how they affect the way we live and do business, and the problems they solve. But we also discuss the evil side of technology, the darker implications of new tech, and what we need to look out for. You can read the original article <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2022\/04\/21\/gan-lawyers-arthur-davidson-scam\/\">here<\/a>.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/scammers-used-ai-generated-faces-to-pose-as-a-boston-law-firm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Scammers used AI-generated faces to pose as a Boston law firm&#8221; Nicole Palmer is a lawyer who graduated from Columbia University. Her profile states that she \u201cspecializes in the application and protection of industrial design\u201d and has \u201cbeen building her career successfully for 30 years.\u201d The only problem is that she doesn\u2019t exist. And she&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Scam.jpg&signature=0b16d5b52d871a667ce87641b44860df","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-436667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}