The key facts
- Scammers use AI to create fake shops, deepfakes and voice cloning
- National Trading Standards has published an AI list of scam schemes for the first time
- Which? warns: typos and grammatical errors are no longer a sign of fraud
AI in the service of scammers
Shoppers in the UK are being warned to be careful when shopping online: criminals are using artificial intelligence to scale up fraudulent schemes. According to National Trading Standards, some fraudsters create websites of fake retailers that present themselves as family firms selling quality British-made goods. The images on such sites may show British streets with Union Jack flags. Those who ordered goods, according to trading standards officers, either never receive them or receive a cheap mass-market product from countries such as China.
First 'watchlist' of AI schemes
National Trading Standards has for the first time compiled a list (watchlist) of tools and techniques used by criminals. It includes: quickly and cheaply created cloned or new websites that look professional; romance scams, where AI remembers the victim's personal details and maintains correspondence for weeks or months; deepfake videos and cloned voices to impersonate relatives or close friends supposedly asking for money in an 'emergency'; as well as error-free personalised phishing emails, SMS messages and social media posts generated by AI on a massive scale.
Old detection methods no longer work
According to the consumer organisation Which?, previous methods of identifying fraud have become less effective: typos and grammatical errors can no longer be considered a sign of a scam, because AI writes texts without errors.
How to protect yourself
Trading standards specialists recommend: never send money, gift cards, personal or financial details to people you have never met in person; verify information — the reality of a shop's address, a company's authorisation via the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Firm Checker, and also contact the company directly to verify job vacancies; do not assume a person is genuine just because you have heard their voice or seen them on a video call. In general, they advise stopping and thinking before paying, handing over data or acting, being especially wary of pressure and artificial urgency — criminals want the victim to act before they have time to think.
Where to report fraud
Incidents of fraud can be reported via the Report Fraud service or by phone on 0300 1232040; for advice, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Image source, Getty Images
