Shoppers urged to verify website addresses as fraudsters exploit growing trust in AI search results…

The growing use of AI assistants for product discovery is creating a new challenge for retailers, after fraudulent websites impersonating major brands were found appearing in ChatGPT shopping recommendations.

Scam-detection service Ask Silver recently identified fake websites posing as Russell & Bromley and Dunelm that were being surfaced as sources in ChatGPT responses.

In one test, Ask Silver asked ChatGPT to recommend popular Russell & Bromley bags and purses. While the response included genuine product suggestions and pricing information, some of the accompanying source links led to websites designed to imitate the retailer’s official online store.

The cloned sites offered discounts of up to 80%, a common indicator of shopping scams used to lure consumers into making purchases or sharing payment details.

Louise Baxter, National Trading Standards head of scams, said shoppers should not assume websites referenced by AI tools have been verified. “Consumers are increasingly turning to AI tools for advice and recommendations, but criminals are adapting just as quickly,” she warned.

“The fact that scam websites can appear in AI-generated results is worrying, and is a stark reminder that fraudsters will exploit any new technology that helps them reach potential victims.”

For retailers, the incident highlights the challenge of protecting brands beyond traditional search environments. Fake websites can closely replicate a retailer’s branding, imagery and product information, making them difficult for consumers to distinguish from legitimate online stores.

Next, which acquired Russell & Bromley earlier this year, said it had been working to have the fraudulent websites removed. OpenAI confirmed that the sites identified by Ask Silver had been taken out of its search index.

As conversational search gains traction, retailers, payment providers and technology platforms face growing pressure to prevent fraudulent sites from being surfaced alongside legitimate brands.

The findings echo concerns raised by Mastercard last week, when the payments giant warned that generative AI is making it easier for criminals to launch convincing fake ecommerce businesses at scale.

The company said traditional fraud controls are struggling to keep pace as fraudulent merchants can appear and disappear rapidly. In response, Mastercard is introducing new merchant risk tools to help payment providers identify suspicious businesses earlier in the onboarding process.