AI-generated fashion adverts linked to UK consumer scams surge
Citizens Advice reported a 21% surge in fashion consumer complaints to nearly 18,000 in 2025, reportedly driven by AI-generated advertising that enables scammers to misrepresent products. One in 13 complaints involved scams where consumers were deceived about seller location and product quality, then charged high fees to return items overseas.
What happened
Citizens Advice reported receiving nearly 18,000 complaints about clothing, shoes and accessories purchases in 2025, a 21% increase from 2024. The advisory service stated that the increasing use of AI 'makes it easier for scammers to trick people into buying items that look nothing like the images advertised'.
Of the complaints, one in 13 involved scams where consumers were misled into believing they were purchasing from UK-based companies, received poor quality items that differed from advertised images, and were then asked to pay expensive international shipping fees to return them to addresses overseas, typically in China.
Reported impact
Eighty-two percent of the 18,000 complaints related to online purchases, with women's clothing accounting for 48% of all complaints. One consumer was sold a £35 jacket advertised as from a London company that arrived in different material and colour, with inferior buttons and cheap smell, and was asked to pay £15 to return it to China.
Index analysis
Faulty goods comprised 18% of all complaints, followed by delivery failures or delays (13%), difficulty returning unwanted items (12%), breach of contract (9%), and poor customer service (6%).
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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