Up next in 10
Don't get fooled by AI created counterfeit retail sites. Experts who track these things say social media is seeing a proliferation of scam websites, fake ads, and fraudulent websites that are run by cyber criminals. I talk with an expert who tells me how to avoid being ripped off by this new generation of AI generated fraud.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
There was a time when you could look at
0:02
a video like this or a website and say,
0:05
"It's real. It's legit. I know that for
0:08
a fact." But then came AI and deep
0:11
fakes. And now you can get copies which
0:14
are almost I say almost perfect.
0:18
Sometimes there'll be little variations
0:20
like this which might give it away, but
0:23
even that is changing. Now it is hard to
0:25
tell which one is real and which one is
0:29
fake.
0:30
Online today is a proliferation
0:33
of uh scam websites, uh fake ads that
0:38
lead to fake social media accounts that
0:40
lead to fake websites that are all run
0:44
by cyber criminals. Online shopping is
0:47
quick, easy, and cheap. That's why in
0:50
this country alone, we import more than
0:52
a billion small packages a year. A
0:55
significant number of which contain fake
0:57
or counterfeit goods. Everything from
1:00
phony electrical items to jewelry to
1:03
clothing and even musical instruments.
1:06
And some of those items pose real
1:08
dangers,
1:09
like baby formula or cosmetics made with
1:12
unknown ingredients. Counterfeit
1:14
prescription medications containing
1:16
harmful chemicals, toys and crafts made
1:18
with lead paint or other environmentally
1:21
hazardous materials, faulty counterfeit
1:23
car parts, bogus electronics that can
1:26
catch fire. The list goes on and on.
1:29
Just how big a problem is the
1:31
counterfeit goods industry? Well, the US
1:33
Chamber of Commerce estimates
1:35
counterfeit goods are a $650 billion
1:39
industry for the criminals behind it.
1:41
And not all those counterfeit items were
1:44
purchased accidentally. There are
1:46
people, and I've done stories in the
1:47
past, who knowingly buy counterfeit
1:50
bags, counterfeit goods, because they
1:53
say, "Oh, it looks like the real thing,
1:55
and who cares? It's a victimless crime."
1:58
It's really not a victimless crime, is
1:59
it?
2:00
No. No, it's not. Because what you're
2:02
basically doing when you're doing that,
2:05
you are um you are fueling criminal
2:08
activity.
2:09
Customers are being deceived and fished
2:11
in your name. Your products are imitated
2:14
and sold for a profit.
2:15
The cyber security company Brand Shield
2:18
not only looks for those counterfeit
2:20
websites, but uncovers the networks
2:23
behind those fake sites which are using
2:25
AI to trick people. Here's an example.
2:28
Take these two fake websites here.
2:30
perfect copies of Dick's sporting goods
2:33
and Sephora websites using AI. Visually,
2:36
you can't detect the fake. However, the
2:39
URL addresses give it away. The real
2:42
address for Dick's site is Dick's
2:44
Sporting Goods, and the real Sephora
2:47
site has no S at the end of the word
2:50
Sephora. Remember, when shopping online,
2:53
you have to pay attention to the domain
2:56
names. If there's a typo, if it's not
2:58
the exact match of the brand or the
3:00
company that you're trying to buy from,
3:01
it's a scam.
3:03
And one more thing, if somebody
3:04
approaches you through instant messaging
3:06
offering products for sale or send you
3:09
links with some great shopping deals
3:11
only if you provide financial
3:13
information, step back because it's just
3:17
a scam. Working for you, I'm consumer
3:20
investigator Steve Spraer.
#Technology News