Wednesday, April 23, 2025

AI content in group sites and ads -- gateways for scammers??

GROUP PAGES CAN BE GOOD FUN

Popular Facebook group pages started as common interest community sites online, formed by real people or companies. Some are public -- anyone can follow -- but they don't allow followers to post content on the site. 

Here's a sample smaller public one (still with a 6-figure following). You can go to the "About" page on this site and see that it is moderated by an individual and based in The Netherlands.

Some group pages are private with volunteer administrators who work hard to moderate them. 

Thanks to moderation, genuine group interest pages like these build a community of trust, and can attract large followings. Moderated pages often require waiting period to join -- a time consuming step that the page administration users to try to weed out bots and keep the page trustworthy. 

WHEN GROUP PAGES GO WRONG...

The success of pages like these to attract large followings got the attention of scammers as well. Some of them tried to infiltrate pages with bot profiles and contributions featuring AI images. The moderated pages would reject these, or weed them out.

So the scammers started creating their own pages. These dubious Facebook pages typically have generic titles and no discernable moderation. Anyone can join. Dubious pages are full of stolen pictures (usually tagged as "great photo" or something similar) and AI generated images. Dubious pages have little or no information on the "About" page. Learn to recognize these red flags.

Fake pages share fake content. They exist to attract followers ... and get "likes and shares."

The proliferation of AI generated images -- all those "likes & shares" -- only normalizes them. 

Many dubious group pages haven't just been attracting followers... they have been cultivating victims for scammers. 

This video from the You Tube channel of journalist Christophe Haubursin breaks down the steps how pages like this are actually bot farms at work. This video is solid journalism, with time stamps to help find the different sections. Start viewing around 6:50 -- the "why are so many people seeing it" section -- for the bot farm info.

For a TLDW version of this breakdown, here are some screen grabs from a photographer friend's warning to their followers about these bot farm pages.. and what to look for...



Here are some sample common interest pages displaying clues they MAY be staging grounds for scammers. Learn to be mindful of what you see and share.  Pages like these are designed to gather followers based on appealing subject matter... piggyback on the assumed trustworthiness built by other groups...and encourage engagement, often via emotional appeals to "like and share." Some post legit photos and products mixed in with AI fakes... adding to the confusion.

This link from Microsoft has tips on how to spot bots on social media:

Check out the 6 figure followings on the sample pages .... these pages are designed to attract a crowd...



another sample...

Here's a warning I shared to a legit common interest group page I follow. One day, they got a flurry of bot farm page posts. Admin later replied to me later to confirm they try to remove those right away.


Here are the stolen photos, with the "Perfect Photographs" and "Great Photo" clues... the first one is a genuine (though stolen) photograph. I'm familiar with the origins of this photo below, and can confirm it was used here WITHOUT permission.

This next one is an AI generated image identified as "Great Photograph"...

And the intro post with the emotional appeal... and the unrelated hashtags, designed to expand the reach of the images and call-too-action... all classic clues..


While some of the posts on these general interest pages may be benign... more red flags are posts like this next sample, that ask for engagement about AI generated images that are presented as genuine products.. (typos like "sigh" instead of "sign" are also clues)...

sample comments of engagement



Proof that there are real people following these pages, and not realizing the appealing "products" are fake, when a comment like this gets multiple "likes" and replies with thanks for the information...


AI IMAGES IN VIDEO ADS -- RED FLAGS!

Seeing AI generated images in advertising shows this normalization is working. This adds monetization to the equation. Maybe some are legit, but these ads also incentivizes scammers. 

Beware of video ads of elderly artisans announcing retirement... it's a scam! Here are some screen grabs from recent AI generated image video ads...


Fake products... fake sales person... fake customers... all AI generated..


Bags, jewelry and watches seem to be common products pitched in these ads...





here's a video from the You Tube channel "Pleasant Green" that follows AI fueled ads like these all the way through to ordering the merchandise... (spoiler alert/TLDW ... the "artesian" wristwatch turns out to be the same as a .99 watch ordered off a website).


GOOD SITES CAN ADD TROUBLE TRYING TO SAVE AD MONEY
It's especially discouraging when charities (including ones I know and donate to!) use AI generated images. It may be a budgetary decision, but using AI generated images also taints these fine organizations with guilt by association as the scams become more rampant. (the wonky fork on the plate in the image below is a "tell" that this is an AI generated image)


REALISTIC AI REELS ARE RED FLAGS TOO
"Whale washing" and other fake videos are making the rounds. These appear as hyper-realistic scenes of animal rescues etc. Some Facebook pages are just sharing videos like these. Here are some screen grabs...




This video from Emmy winning artist Bobby Chiu explores how convincing these videos can be...


A producer from The Dodo also posted a reel explaining about the dangers of these videos..

AD INDUSTRY IS AWARE -- WILL THEY ACT??
Advertising trade organizations are pondering the impact of AI in advertising as well...


Here's a link and statement from the American Marketing Association:

A fake, AI-generated KFC ad has sparked major debate in the creative community — and it’s a moment every marketer should pay attention to.

"When director David Blagojevic posted a hyper-realistic AI-made KFC spot, it quickly went viral. But it didn’t take long for another director, Joris Noordenbos, to point out that many of the shots closely replicated real ads he had produced for KFC. The result? Accusations of plagiarism, a firestorm in the comments, and a bigger conversation around AI’s role in advertising.

💡 For marketers, this moment highlights a few critical truths:

- AI can enhance creativity, but it doesn’t erase the need for credit and transparency

- Brands are vulnerable to the unauthorized use of their identity in AI-generated content

- The line between inspiration and imitation is thinner than ever

As AI tools evolve, so does our responsibility to use them ethically. Credit still matters. Brand integrity still matters. Let’s keep pushing boundaries with purpose!

Read more about this debate in Ad Age" https://adage.com/technology/ai/aa-fake-ai-generated-kfc-ad-causes-creativity-debate/?fbclid=

"ASPIRATIONAL" IS A PATH TO PROBLEMS 

Some Facebook pages exists only to promote "aspirational" decor/decor. This use of AI generated images also lull the public into accepting "aspirational decor/products" as real and lures them to websites where scammers can sell inferior merchandise and collect payment info. Or use emotional "my kid made this" appeals to get engagement... and donations.

Previous posts on the blog about these problems: https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2023/08/beware-ai-image-generated-non.html

https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2023/08/deciphering-ai-images-clues-to-look-for.html

Recent examples....



This next screen grab is a sample of a general interest page used to post an AI generated image with "emotional appeal" call-to-action, that shares a link to buy a quilt...only the image is fake and the quilt pictured doesn't exist. Look at the website link. It may appears to be legit "Etsy" at first glance... but look closely!

Some Facebook pages feature nothing but "aspirational" decor/products. Instead of making it clear on each post that the images are AI generated, they link to websites bury that transparency on a "warning" page. They seem to know that consumers are being scammed through use of the images... why not label the images as AI generated from the start??




Legit Pages get hurt by these scams too!

POP QUIZ

Lots of info covered in this post -- care to take a pop quiz? Can you spot the clues that these ad images are AI generated?


These eyeglass ads may be legit. But do you really want to buy from companies that are using fakery to attract customers?

AI generated images are only possible due to art theft. And greed.

They are "tools" all right -- tools for scammers. Supplied by thieves. Be aware. Raise awareness.

This link from HumanAristryCampAIgn has news on proposed legislation regarding "deep fakes" in the works: https://www.humanartistrycampaign.com/news

Concept Art Association has this advocacy page on their website https://www.conceptartassociation.com/advocacy

Info on the News/Media Alliance (formerly the Newspaper Assoc of America) "Support Responsible AI" campaign here: https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/support-responsible-ai-campaign/

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