‘Poisoned’ AI: the ChatGPT shopping scams that lead to fake websites
Fake retail sites are surfacing in ChatGPT search results, steering shoppers into scams. Ask Silver says cloned pages for Russell & Bromley and Dunelm have appeared.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The Guardian reports that scammers are gaming AI search results to push shoppers toward cloned retail websites. Ask Silver says fake Russell & Bromley and Dunelm sites have shown up in ChatGPT results, creating a new route for fraud.
It’s like asking a librarian for a toy shop and getting sent to a fake store with a copied sign. The AI can point to the wrong place, and then a scammer takes the money instead of the real shop.
Analysis
What happened
The article describes a scam pattern in which shoppers ask ChatGPT about products, follow source links from the AI answer, and land on websites that look like genuine stores but are actually cloned fraud pages. In the example given, a shopper searching for Russell & Bromley bags could be led to a fake site, make a purchase, and never receive the item.
Why the fake sites are convincing
Ask Silver, a scam-checking service, says it has found cloned sites appearing in ChatGPT search results. The cases mentioned in the piece involve Russell & Bromley and Dunelm. Anna Jones of Ask Silver says the underlying AI model may have been “poisoned” by malicious content being inserted into the material it learns from, including cloned webpages created by fraudsters.
The article notes that Russell & Bromley went into administration in January 2026 and was absorbed by Next, which means there is no longer an official standalone Russell & Bromley website. That creates confusion for shoppers who may still search for the brand and trust results returned by an AI tool.
What officials and companies say
Louise Baxter of National Trading Standards warns that people should not assume a website is genuine simply because an AI recommends it. The article also quotes Dunelm telling customers to use only its official website or app. Next says it is aware of the situation and has been working to get the fake sites shut down. A ChatGPT spokesperson says the fraudulent sites have been removed from its search index.
What shoppers are told to watch for
The story highlights several red flags: odd domain names, extra words such as “official” or “deals,” very large discounts, and payment methods like bank transfer only. The safest route is to go directly to a retailer’s official site rather than relying on AI-generated sources.
Key points
- Ask Silver says cloned retail sites have appeared in ChatGPT search results.
- The article cites fake Russell & Bromley and Dunelm websites.
- Russell & Bromley no longer has a standalone official site after being absorbed by Next.
- National Trading Standards warns consumers not to trust a site just because AI surfaced it.
- Red flags include unusual domain names, exaggerated discounts, and bank-transfer-only payment.
If platforms keep removing fake sites quickly, the worst scams may be caught before many shoppers are harmed. Clear warnings from retailers and consumer agencies could also make people more careful about where they click.
If scammers keep planting copied pages fast enough, AI tools could become another easy doorway into retail fraud. Shoppers may trust AI suggestions more than search results, making losses faster and harder to spot.
