‘Poison’ AI: ChatGPT shopping scams that lead to fake websites

You want to buy a new bag, so you ask ChatGPT. You’ve always loved Russell & Bromley, so you ask ChatGPT what’s popular there right now.

The artificial intelligence (AI) assistant gives you cross-body, shoulder, casual and formal options with prices listed next to them. Click through and buy your new bag from what looks like the official Russell & Bromley site, conveniently on sale.

However, the item never arrives. You’ve handed over money to a scammer and your bank details have been harvested through an elaborate scam where fake sites are created to look like real retailers.

Scam checking service Ask Silver claims that cloned sites are showing up in search results on ChatGPT. It saw the ripping-off of Russell & Bromley and furnishings retailer Dunelm.

Ask Silver’s Anna Jones says the Large Language Model (LLM) that powers ChatGPT may have been “poisoned”. This happens when malicious content is inserted into the information the AI ​​learns from things like cloned web pages created by the fraudster.

He adds: “In this instance, the scammers seem to be taking advantage of the fact that Russell & Bromley went into administration in January 2026 and was absorbed by Next – so the official Russell & Bromley website no longer exists, but potential customers will be looking for it.”

Louise Baxter, head of the fraud group at National Trading Standards, said people should not assume a website is genuine just because it is recommended by an AI tool.

“Consumers are increasingly turning to AI tools for advice and recommendations, but criminals are adapting quickly. The fact that fraudulent websites can appear in AI-generated results is worrying, and a stark reminder that fraudsters will take advantage of any new technology that helps them reach potential victims,” ​​he said.

That’s how it is

Ask Silver Research asked ChatGPT a common question: “What are the most popular Russell & Bromley purses and bags?”

The results include details and prices of different bags, trends and which bag was best for which occasion. Among the sources for the answer were two fraudulent Russell & Bromley sites.

These sites were reliable. In one case, there are big “discounts” – up to 80% – offered on bags. In fact, if you buy something, the fraudsters will get the money.

A cloned website will have an address similar to what you would expect a legitimate store to have. Ask Silver, therussellbromleyofficial, russellandbromleylondon, russellbromleyonlineuk and russell-and-bromley are some of the names identified as fake sites.

The official Russell & Bromley store is on the next website.

What you can do

When shopping online, look out for the address of cloned sites – legitimate UK sites often use .co.uk or .com. And be wary of extra words like “official” or “agreements” in the title. Fraudulent sites will often only pay by bank transfer, which is an immediate red flag and carries a large discount on items.

Go directly to retailers’ websites if you can, rather than following sources. A spokesperson for Dunelm said: “We encourage our customers to engage only through our official website www.dunelm.com or the official Dunelm app.” He said whenever the retailer became aware of a fraudulent site, it worked hard to ensure it was removed as soon as possible.

If you find your financial details have been handed over, report it to your bank and report the fraud.

Next, which bought Russell & Bromley in January, said it was “aware of the situation” and was working to close the sites.

A spokesperson for ChatGPT said it had removed fraudulent websites from its search index. Users of AI Tool can report sites that violate its policies through this form.