The National Cyber Security Centre recently reported that shoppers lost over £11m to shopping scams in the lead up to Christmas last year – clothing and high-end tech devices were most commonly associated with scams.
Read on to find out how fraudsters are using AI-generated content to make their shopping scams more convincing than ever.
undefinedHow is AI used in shopping scams
AI is being used by scammers to create social media posts, product listings, advertising, and marketing materials, all enticing people to buy something.
The content is usually shared on social media and can be particularly eye-catching and effective on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
1. AI product images
Using readily available AI software, scammers can easily enhance images of products, or even create images of products or gadgets that don’t exist.
Images often appear to feature real people holding or using the products, which could make them more convincing.
A product can be made to appear high quality – or even too perfect. Often, the reality is that the product doesn't exist, or it’s poorly made, a different shape or size to that advertised, or is missing features clearly shown in the ad. This is often seen in advertising of products marketed as cheaper versions of high-end tech products and branded clothes or beauty products.
Always check the details of the retailer you're buying from before you part with any money. Look at its reviews and see how likely it is that you'll get what you're paying for.
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2. Deepfake videos
The popular style of short-form videos found on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram has been hijacked by fraudsters creating realistic fakes using AI.
Scammers can manipulate a real video of someone, subtly changing the way their face and body move, and add a different voice. Sometimes the audio may be removed and the video features captions that don’t match what the person is saying in the clip.
Footage of celebrities and other high-profile people can be manipulated to include a voiceover that sounds very similar to them, to make it seem more realistic. Influencer-style posts, are where someone is talking to the camera about a product. The scammers will take a real video from someone’s social account and edit it so it looks like the person is talking about a product that’s actually part of the scam, they add images of the product and a different voiceover.
More sophisticated software is capable of creating entirely original footage using a combination of images found online, stitched together to create a person who doesn’t really exist.
Read more:3. Fake websites and social media profiles
Having a professional-looking website can help scam companies look legitimate.
Entire websites including images, text, videos, stores and checkouts, can now be created quickly using online tools that just need to be given a few prompts about themes. Another form of AI, known as bots, can also fake comments and likes on websites and social media pages from non-existent followers and fans, which can make it look like a scam company has lots of loyal and happy customers.
Just because an advert you’ve seen has online links to a website or social profile with lots of content, comments, likes and followers, it doesn’t always mean the company behind it is genuine.
Read more:4. Scam marketplace listings
AI tools can easily generate content for fake listings on online marketplaces.
Scam listings commonly feature high value or in-demand products at temptingly low prices, such as new and used tech like mobile phones, smartwatches and tablets, as well as children's toys, bikes and household appliances.
Read more:5. Fake reviews
AI is also used by fraudsters to create thousands of fake positive reviews for products on marketplaces, review sites and social media pages.
Fake reviews often include glowing comments using generic key phrases people tend to look for when considering buying a product or service. For example, ‘5 star customer service’ or ‘excellent quality item’. They’re also programmed to make the review sound chatty and informal, as real people would write them, but often include strange phrases.
Always look at reviews of a retailer before you buy from it and pay attention to the four, three and two-star reviews for a more honest opinion.
Read moreWhat to do if you’ve lost money to an online shopping scam
If you’ve been conned by a shopping scam online, and you paid by debit or credit card, contact your bank or card provider and tell it what’s happened.
If you’ve paid using an online payment platform such as Paypal, contact the platform. Most platforms have a customer protection policy and they may be able to help you get your money back.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/5-ways-ai-is-being-misused-to-fuel-online-shopping-scams-aySmT7x4Y7Vs