Fraudulent Generative AI Websites Cause Consumer Losses in South Korea
South Korean consumers have been defrauded by counterfeit websites imitating popular generative AI services like ChatGPT and Gemini, with 37 complaints received between January and October 2025. The fake sites copied logos, interfaces and service names but provided inferior quality and made refunds difficult.
What happened
Fraudulent websites mimicking ChatGPT, Gemini and other generative AI services were used to defraud South Korean consumers. The fake sites copied official logos, user interface layouts, menus and dialogue windows to appear authentic.
Between January and October 2025, the Korean Consumer Agency received 37 complaints about 'generative AI similar sites' through its international transaction consumer portal and 1372 consumer consultation center. Most fraudulent sites were operated from overseas.
Reported impact
Consumers unknowingly paid fees to use the counterfeit sites, but received significantly lower quality service or nonsensical responses compared to official services. The sites imposed difficult refund conditions making refunds effectively impossible.
Governance controls
The Korean Consumer Agency advised consumers to verify the official homepage address and developer name before using AI services, and to be cautious that advertising links may not lead to official sites. For overseas sites, using a credit card with post-approval cancellation capability was recommended as safer.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.