ChatGPT recommends scam shopping sites after data poisoning
ChatGPT has been observed recommending cloned websites that impersonate defunct retailers like Russell & Bromley, which scammers created to steal money and bank details. Researchers believe malicious content was injected into ChatGPT's training data, and security officials warn consumers should not assume AI-recommended websites are genuine.
What happened
Ask Silver, a scam-checking service, reported that ChatGPT was recommending cloned websites that impersonate Russell & Bromley, a British footwear and handbag retailer that went into administration in January 2026 and was absorbed by Next. When users asked ChatGPT for 'popular Russell & Bromley purses and bags', the AI assistant returned results that included links to fraudulent websites using official-sounding URLs like therussellbromleyofficial dot com, with fake discounts of up to 80% offered.
Anna Jones of Ask Silver told The Guardian that scammers were taking advantage of the fact that Russell & Bromley no longer had an official website, as potential customers would still be searching for it. The fake websites appeared credible, and users who clicked through could have their money stolen and bank details harvested.
Reported impact
Louise Baxter, head of the scams team at the UK's National Trading Standards, stated: 'Consumers are increasingly turning to AI tools for advice and recommendations, but criminals are adapting just as quickly. The fact that scam websites can appear in AI-generated results is worrying, and is a stark reminder that fraudsters will exploit any new technology that helps them reach potential victims.'
Index analysis
Anna Jones told The Guardian that it is possible ChatGPT's language model has been 'poisoned' by malicious content sneaked into its training data, due to which the AI model returns fraudulent and scam pages when triggered by customer queries.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.