How Do I Avoid AI-Powered Shopping Scams?

Online shopping makes it easy to find unique and interesting items. But what happens when the product that arrives looks nothing like the one you ordered? Advancements in artificial intelligence, or AI, have made it more difficult to tell what’s real from what’s fake in online product listings.

How AI Creates Convincing Fakes

Scammers can use AI to create visually appealing images of products that may trick you into making a purchase. To make the offer even more tempting, the price of the item may be very low, or it may appear to be a previously expensive item being sold at a heavily discounted price. However, if you order these items, they will look nothing like what was pictured upon arrival.

Unfortunately, in many cases, the product will contain a disclaimer in the description that indicates that the item differs from the image. This disclaimer can make it much more difficult to receive a refund if you try to return or exchange the item.

Think Before You Buy!

A product may even appear to have excellent customer feedback, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe to purchase. Scammers can use AI to generate fake positive reviews and customer feedback. If you examine the reviews closely, you’ll notice that they may use similar wording, which can be a warning sign that real customers did not post the reviews. Additionally, scammers often use high-pressure tactics, such as limited-time deals and countdown timers, to trick you into making an impulsive purchase.

What Can I Do To Stay Safe?

The best defense against these tricks is to pause and look closely at the product listing before you buy. While AI is powerful, it’s not perfect, and you can often spot the signs of a fake.

Remember these tips to protect yourself when shopping online:

• Examine product photographs closely. AI-generated images often have flaws like blurry smudges, inconsistent lines, or parts of the object that seem to fade away or disappear. Also, be suspicious if the seller only provides one photograph of the item and doesn’t show it from multiple angles.
• Investigate the seller. Is the seller’s account brand new? Do they have a history of selling other items with good reviews? Do they have a suspiciously high number of positive reviews with similar wording? Some research can help you determine if a seller is legitimate.

Always use a credit card for online payments. Using a credit card allows you to dispute the payment or claim fraud if it turns out the deal was a scam.