PHOENIX — Scammers are using artificial intelligence to copy brand websites and trick shoppers into buying counterfeit products — or stealing their personal information entirely.
Nearly 60% of brands are spotting fakes of their products within one week of a viral moment, according to a new State of Brand Integrity Report from MarqVision.
It doesn't matter which social media platform you use — Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok — sponsored ads pushing the latest products are everywhere, and scammers are taking advantage.
"These fake websites, these counterfeits, are popping up everywhere," said Alexis Malmberg from Marqvision while speaking with the Let ABC15 Know team.
AI tools are making it easier than ever for scammers to build convincing copies of legitimate brand websites.
"They are not afraid. They will copy the content of the website one to one, and now, with the new AI tools that are out, it's very easy for scammers to do this, unfortunately," Malmberg explained.
And when a product goes viral, counterfeiters move fast.
"It happens very quickly. And if you know, a brand is having a viral moment, counterfeiters, scammers, impersonators, they're looking at it with dollar signs like it's a revenue opportunity for them, unfortunately," Malmberg added.
These AI counterfeits are different from "dupes” which are cheaper imitations of a product. With AI-powered fake websites, shoppers sometimes don't receive any item at all after ordering from them.
"If you do buy something through an impersonating website, you may or may not receive a product. It could just be phishing for your information," said Malmberg.
How to spot a fake
Watch for suspiciously low prices. If the price seems too good to be true, there's a reason. Scammers frequently use deep discounts to lure in shoppers!
"We see a lot of warehouse sales scams where impersonators will put out a page discounting product at like 80%," Malmberg said.
Check the website domain. Impersonators will often add extra letters, "US," or even the word "official" to a web address to make it look like the real brand's site.
Be cautious on resale platforms. Shoppers using platforms like OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace should pay close attention to where a product is being sold and shipped from.
"On a marketplace, if you are looking from where the product is sold and shipped from, if that information is available, if you know where your favorite brand usually is selling and shipping products from, and there's a mismatch with that, that's a pretty good indicator as well," Malmberg explained.
No Contact Information. Legitimate websites will provide physical addresses, phone numbers, and working email addresses. Having only a generic contact form is a red flag.
Check the Policies. Scam websites often lack detailed shipping, return, or privacy policies.
If you’re worried that a website you are looking at is a fake, you can use tools like Google Safe Browsing to verify if a website is dangerous. Get Safe
Online is another good resource for analyzing a website’s credibility.
A good deal can be tempting, but the best protection is to slow down and do your research before entering your payment or personal information anywhere online.
Do you have a consumer problem that you need help with? Let ABC15 Know! Email Consumer@abc15.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
