TAMPA, Fla. — The landscape of online shopping is starting to change thanks to artificial intelligence.
“Because people are using AI more and in their day-to-day lives and in their jobs, people are starting to use these tech tools more,” said Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert for TrueTrae.com.
Bodge spoke with Tampa Bay 28 about how AI can be useful in suggesting gifts for your loved ones and is still getting better at helping you find the best deals.
It’s being used across retailers, in browser extensions and apps. But as much as AI can be a great tool, Bodge urges consumers to be cautious.
“Something really important to think about, if we’re using all these tech tools, scammers are using these tech tools too. They’re not only using them for their own purposes, but they’re trying to seek us out by using these platforms to scam us,” said Bodge.
Artificial intelligence is also making things more difficult for cybersecurity teams.
They’ve been tracking online shopping scams that involve impersonations where some scammers are producing fake images of a product, claiming there’s a good deal, or even fake celebrity endorsements. They’re all urging you to click a link to ultimately steal your personal information or money.
“We’re seeing that trend start to pick up with this time of the year leading into the holidays,” said Abhishek Karnik, who heads Threat Research and Intelligence for McAfee.
He told Tampa Bay 28 that text scams continue to be the most common, often claiming to offer deals from retailers with a fraudulent link.
Email scams are also on the rise, with fake advertisements.
“We’ve seen a 50% increase in email scams,” said Karnik.
Recent data suggest that about 1 in every 5 Americans has been scammed online.
“Our survey tells us that on average, if somebody does fall victim to a scam, they lose about $840,” said Karnik.
So be extra cautious if you’re shopping online. Take a moment to verify that any advertisement you get is real. You’re better off searching for the retailer you want to shop from, instead of clicking any links coming from your email or texts.
“Other red flags could also be that if somebody is asking you to make a payment, if they’re asking you to make a payment over a gift card, over cryptocurrency, those are red flags,” said Karnik.
There is software available that can help you detect scams via email and text and help you detect deep fakes.
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