AI Scams Get Smarter: Trading Standards Issues First Watchlist

Shoppers are being warned to stay alert as criminals use AI to make scams harder to spot. National Trading Standards says fraudsters are building websites for fake retailers posing as family-owned UK firms selling quality British-made goods, sometimes with images of a High Street and Union Jack flags. Order and you may get nothing at all, or a cheap mass-produced item from a country such as China.

AI-generated images, voice cloning and deepfake videos are increasingly used to trick people out of money, the watchdog says. It has drawn up its first AI scam watchlist, highlighting tricks including polished fake websites built quickly and cheaply, romance scams where AI remembers victims' details to keep conversations going for weeks or months, deepfake videos and cloned voices impersonating loved ones in an "emergency", and error-free personalised phishing messages sent at huge scale.

Old warning signs may no longer help. Consumer group Which? says typos and grammatical errors can't be relied on to spot scams anymore. Trading standards advises never sending money, gift cards or personal information to someone you haven't met in person, checking whether a shop's address is real, using the Financial Conduct Authority's Firm Checker, and contacting businesses directly to verify job adverts. Don't assume someone is genuine just because you've heard their voice or seen them on a video call. Stop and think before paying or sharing information, and be wary of pressure or urgency. Fraud can be reported to Report Fraud on 0300 1232040, or call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 for advice.