Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- ChatGPT shopping results have been linked to fake stores, exposing some users to financial fraud and stolen payment details.
- Scammers exploited the disappearance of Russell & Bromley as an independent retailer by creating convincing copycat websites.
- Researchers suspect “AI poisoning” is helping fraudulent pages infiltrate large language models and appear in recommendations.
AI shopping assistants promise to make buying products easier, but a growing wave of fraud shows they can sometimes bring whole new risks.
The Guardian has reported that there have been instances where ChatGPT has led users to convincing fake retail websites and even suggested products that were never real. According to findings shared by scam-detection service Ask Silver, cloned online stores have started to appear in ChatGPT-generated shopping results. Fraudsters operated websites that looked authentic but actually featured links to popular brands such as Russell & Bromley or Dunelm for users searching for them. Those who placed orders lost money but also had their payment details exposed.
