By Yik Han, F-Secure:
“This year saw a dramatic rise in shopping frauds delivered through fake and fraudulent advertisements for luxury goods on social media, most prominently found on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. In 2024, these bad ads will likely evolve into new heights with the use of rapidly advancing generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Billions of people around the globe have used AI chatbots to generate text and images since the release of ChatGPT brought the technology into the mainstream in late 2021. Advances in generative artificial intelligence have been persistent and extensive, as giant tech competitors including Google and Microsoft seek advantage in this rapidly expanding space.
And while these bots automate numerous tasks, they are also frequently misused. In April of 2023, Europol noted that large language models (LLMs) like the one that powers ChatGPT could be exploited by criminals for fraud, disinformation, and cyber crime, noting specifically that LLMs are an “extremely useful tool for phishing purposes.”
Generative AI tools will help scammers to create more convincing captions and shockingly detailed images on their fake advertisements. F-Secure is already seeing a rise in the usage of generative AI tools in both legitimate and illegitimate social media advertising posts.
Cybercriminals are also likely to create more fake shopping websites and combine them with malvertising (incorporating malware in online ads) to trick victims into handing over their credit card numbers. With the help of generative AI to instantly aid the construction of entire eCommerce experiences and help craft professional marketing messages, these fraudulent sites will become even more difficult to detect.”
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