Be careful where you buy; shoppers are being warned that criminals are using AI to supercharge scams.
Some fraudsters have made websites for fake retailers that claim to be family-owned firms selling quality UK-made products. Images may show a UK High Street with Union Jack flags in shot.
If you order you’re likely to find a product either never arrives, or is a cheap, mass-produced item from a country such as China, trading standards officers say.
AI-generated images like this, as well as voice cloning and deepfake videos, are increasingly being used to trick people out of their money, according to National Trading Standards.
For the first time, it has drawn up an AI scam watchlist highlighting some of the tools and techniques criminals are using.
What are the tricks to look out for?
Tricks include:
- Cloned or new websites that look polished and professional in a short time and at a low cost
- Romance scams in which AI is used to remember victims’ personal details and keep conversations going over weeks or months
- AI-generated deepfake videos and voice-cloned audio is used to impersonate family members or close friends asking for money in an “emergency”
- Error-free, personalised phishing emails, text messages and social media posts can be generated by AI on a huge scale
How can I protect myself?
Some of the old scam-avoidance techniques may now be less successful due to the benefits of AI.
Typos or grammatical errors can no longer be relied on to spot scams, says consumer group Which?.
Some of the ways to protect yourself, according to Trading Standards, include:
- Never sending money, gift cards or personal or financial information to someone you have not met in person
- Doing your research – such as checking whether a shop’s address is real, using the Financial Conduct Authority’s Firm Checker, to ensure a company is authorised to give financial advice, and contacting a business directly to check whether a job advert is real
- Not assuming someone is genuine just because you’ve heard their voice or seen them on a video call
In general, they say stop and think before paying, sharing personal information or taking action. You should be especially wary of pressure or urgency because criminals want you to act before you have time to think.