AI CAN NOW FAKE EXPLICIT PHOTOS OF ANYONE CALIFORNIA GIVES YOU A WAY TO FIGHT BACK

It wasn’t even a good photo of me, and it still worked.  That was the part that scared me.  Imagine being told this – that an AI-generated explicit image of them had started circulating in a group chat, built from nothing more than a few public social media photos.

That pattern is becoming common enough that it now has a name: AI- powered sextortion.  A scammer scrapes public photos, runs them through an AI tool, and produces convincing fake explicit images, then threatens to send them to family, coworkers, or an employer unless money is paid.  The Wall Street Journal has reported on families targeted this way, and security researchers describe it as an automated, opportunistic scheme, not something reserved for public figures or the wealthy.

California does not leave a victim of this without recourse.  Civ. Code § 1708.86 creates a civil claim against anyone who creates or knowingly discloses digitized sexually explicit material of a real person without that person’s consent, and the statute reaches anyone who knowingly facilitates that conduct as well.  A 2026 amendment strengthened the law specifically to address AI-generated content and the services built around producing it.

If this happens to you, do not pay.  The FBI’s guidance is consistent on this point: paying does not make the images disappear, and it confirms to the scammer that you are a paying target.  Report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, change your passwords, and end any device sessions you do not recognize.

Being targeted by a scam does not make you the one who did something wrong, and California law treats it that way too.

Contact Michael Trust Law, APC for a no-charge initial consultation, if this has happened to you.  The facts determine whether you have a claim – and how much of a conversation that takes.

This post shares general information based on common patterns I see in California workplaces.  It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney- client relationship, and outcomes depend on specific facts – no lawyer can guarantee a result.  Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes.  AI may have been used to create this post.  All content reviewed by a CA attorney before publication.