The holiday season is already upon us, and this, combined with a rough financial year for many, means that shoppers are on eagerly hunting for any savings they can find. Unfortunately, scammers are also on the lookout for victims and have the advanced technology to help. In this article, we’re going to be exploring AI generated shopping scams and how to guard against them.
AI Generated Shopping Scams
The rise of AI has given scammers a new tool to be more convincing than ever. Deepfakes of ya beloved celebrity promoting a product or LLM-powered messages mimicking their words can be sent to millions with minimal effort. Retail is a prime real estate for scammers, with plenty of shoppers looking for exclusive details and savings. Let’s take a closer look.
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The Amazing Discount
Scammers spoof a famous company or brand and advertise one of their very popular products, and announce it at a major discount. The victim, in a hurry to get the deal while it lasts, follows the link to a legitimate-looking site and either hands over money (often through non-traceable means like Bitcoin) or personal information, after which the deal never comes through.
Imitation
The key to these scams is imitation and urgency. There are plenty of Christmas wish-list items being promoted this time of year, so a convincing spoof won’t be as conspicuous. High-demand items created through fake AI-generated social media ads or sponsored by “influencers” often get the victim excited and believe they’ve stumbled upon an amazing deal.
A time limit is often in place to get the victim to act with as much haste and as little rationality as possible. If an item’s limited availability or time is a factor, people are quicker to click first and ask questions later. This deal is too good to miss out on, after all.
AI is the final part of the imitation game that adds that extra veneer of authenticity. It’s easy to replicate celebrities, brands, and product images, using a tonally appropriate text generated by an LLM.
Staying Safe This Holiday Season
With so much hype and so much fraud, it’s important to keep your head during the silly season and be smart when it comes to shopping online and following your socials. Here are some of our top tips:
- Investigate your seller – If the offer you see comes from an influencer or private source, do some of your own research about them online, seeing if their name pops up alongside “scamming.” Same goes for major brands, especially if the deal is offered as an insider secret. For larger chains, you can also visit the site directly to confirm any specials.
- Be on guard for AI – Spotting fake AI-generated social media scams keeps getting harder, but not impossible. Keep an eye out for the uncanny valley in videos and voices. If you feel a bit strange watching an ad, go with your gut.
- Beware debit and non-traceable payments – Scammers rely on getting your money in ways that you can’t get back. Never pay for any online products through untraceable means, debit transactions, or apps like Zelle.
- If it’s too good to be true – Yes, it usually is. Compare deals with other competing prices online. Good deals are normally a bit cheaper than the going rate, but nowhere near 80%-90%, especially for high-demand wish list items.
- Verify the website – If you are taken by a link to a different site, especially a famous brand, look for the lock icon in your address bar and scrutinize the URL. Spoofed websites can’t use a legit domain name, but they are very crafty in coming close.
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When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.
