John M Peek PC

08/22/2026

A Connecticut man tried to secretly influence any AI system that might review his court filings by hiding prompt-injection instructions inside the documents.

The text was made nearly invisible by using tiny white font on a white background, but it could still be read by software extracting the document’s text.

The hidden instructions told AI systems to agree with plaintiff Matthew Elliott’s arguments, ignore earlier court denials, and produce outcomes favorable to him.

Elliott later said he was trying to “audit” the court because he suspected it might be using AI.

The attempt had no effect because Connecticut’s judicial system does not use AI to review or decide filings.

Still, the judge called the behavior a serious litigation abuse. Elliott was banned from electronically filing future documents and must instead submit paper filings.

Source: Reuters

05/16/2026

It’s easy in hindsight to see where it went wrong. Don’t get in that position.

🚨 Over $500,000 GONE ..... The Town of Surfside Beach sent more than half a million dollars of taxpayer money straight into a scammers hands, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is now investigating what went wrong.

LOCAL NEWS AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Jake Lee - Myrtle Beach & Pawleys Island Top Realtor

The town hired Wildcat Construction to move utilities underground. After the company finished the work earlier this year, it was owed payment. On March 13, Surfside Beach issued a 545000 dollar ACH transfer that was supposed to go to the contractor. Instead the money landed in a fraudulent account.

Wildcat Construction says it has never used ACH payments and had confirmed in writing with the town that it expected a traditional check. When the company followed up about the long overdue amount the town shared the email thread that was meant to document the transaction. That is when the problems became obvious. The email address had an extra letter in the company name and attached documents included a forged signature copied from an old notarized file. The construction company says the town never followed standard protocol to confirm the sudden switch from check to ACH.

Surfside Beach has now acknowledged a potential cybersecurity breach and is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts. SLED confirmed it opened an active investigation after the Surfside Beach Police Department requested assistance on April 28.

Wildcat Construction still has not received any of the money it earned for work already completed and says it has received no update from the towns attorney.

This is public money from right here in the Grand Strand.

A vital reminder to every business, resident ,and local government: Never send money via ACH or wire transfer unless you have personally verified the recipient using contact information you already trust not just an email. Always confirm any change in payment instructions directly with the company through known reliable channels before you send a single dollar.

What do you make of this situation?

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05/10/2026

Take care if you’re selling on Facebook Marketplace of course. But today I’m talking about messages saying a family member wants to buy the item but they are not on Facebook and asking that the seller text a phone number. I’ve seen it twice this weekend. The message is practically identical except it was brother on one, sister in the other. The phone numbers are in area codes not nearby. I’m including a screenshot. The person messaging here, if you look at the profile, has two Facebook friends.
Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into this.
Carry on.

04/28/2026

The AI trap

https://www.facebook.com/share/18kdPrRJpL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🧑‍⚖️: https://www.al.com/news/2026/04/alabama-supreme-court-fines-lawyer-17000-for-ai-hallucinations-in-legal-filings.html?utm_campaign=aldotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

“They appear to be artificial intelligence ‘hallucinations,’ i.e., fake authorities created by an AI system,” the Court's opinion reads.

04/27/2026

Not much surprises me anymore...but I have to admit I did a double-take when the Dillard's website indicated that I was agreeing to an arbitration clause for any disputes merely by visiting their website. Do better, Dillard's.

04/25/2026

True fact…