With the rise of AI-generated images, many people are finding that their online purchases are not quite what they appear. Many individuals are finding themselves in the middle of AI shopping scams. Avoiding these scams, on the other hand, is not always so simple…
The Rise of AI Shopping Scams
As AI imaging gets more sophisticated, more people are being tricked into buying products that look high quality and unique…
Only for the package to arrive and be completely different from what they ordered.
These AI shopping catfishes are becoming more frequent. Especially since discerning what AI images look like can be nearly impossible.
These sellers, on the other hand, are taking full advantage of this technology.
IN FACT, THEY ARE TURNING A PROFIT.
One of the websites that uses AI images is selling these “items” that can range from $60 to $120 in price.
IMAGINE SPENDING THAT ONLY TO FIND WHAT YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR IS NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU HAD IN MIND.
How do the scammers wind up with these images in the first place? The truth is simply the accessibility of hyper-realistic AI generation software.
How Do These Images Get Created?
AI shopping scams are almost too convenient to put together.
These scammers simply create the description of a fake product and input that into any of the readily available image generators.
After that, it’s all about listing your “product” on a website and waiting for orders to come in. When shopping for a product, artificial images can sneak up on you.
But unlike reputable stores who edit pictures of their stock to make it look a bit nicer than it would in real life…
THE PRODUCTS IN AI IMAGES DON’T EXIST
With scammers finding their way into our digital shopping carts…
Artificial intelligence experts are already trying to come up with ways to protect consumers while buying online.
How to Avoid These Scams
Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, it is getting harder and harder to identify fake images…
AND AS THE TECHNOLOGY KEEPS ADVANCING, MORE CONSUMERS ARE BEING PUT AT RISK.
With that said, more and more experts are calling on retailers to play an active role in the protection of their consumers.
These companies need to implement safeguards to identify sellers using AI images and ban them from their platforms.
Beyond the intervention of retailers, Hany Farid, professor of Digital Forensics at the University of California, Berkeley, recommends the use of digital watermarks.
These watermarks signal to a browser when the user is looking at an AI-generated image.
While this might not end AI shopping scams, it sets a precedent for customer protection.
Technology keeps sneaking its way into unsuspecting spaces, from retailers to magazine articles. Until we get extreme limitations and control of the use of AI…
We will need to be vigilant and keep a sharp eye on the items we drop in our carts.
Be Smart,
GCTV Staff
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