Fraudsters are using AI-generated images and fabricated back stories to pose as small, family-run UK businesses and deceive shoppers into buying cheap products shipped from Asia, a BBC investigation has revealed.
Websites such as C’est La Vie and Mabel & Daisy have been accused of presenting themselves as long-established local boutiques run by couples or families in Birmingham and Bristol, when in reality they are operated by overseas sellers using artificial intelligence to create convincing — but entirely fake — personas.
AI-Generated Faces, Fake Stories, and Real Victims
At first glance, the C’est La Vie website appeared to be run by Eileen and Patrick, a couple claiming to have managed a jewellery shop in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter for nearly three decades. In reality, the store’s returns address was in China, and its imagery — including photos of the couple — appeared to be AI-generated, according to Professor Mark Lee, an artificial intelligence expert at the University of Birmingham.
“This seems well done but the images look a little bit too perfect and staged to be real,” Lee said, explaining that AI tools have become increasingly adept at generating convincing human likenesses.
The website even featured an emotional falsehood — a story claiming that “Eileen’s beloved husband Patrick” had died, prompting an 80% clearance sale to close the business.
Shoppers lured by the tale say they were sent “plastic junk” and “lumps of resin” instead of handmade jewellery. “If I could give 0 stars, I would,” one angry reviewer wrote on Trustpilot, where both C’est La Vie and Mabel & Daisy have hundreds of one-star complaints.
Facebook Ads and the Role of Social Media
Victims said they discovered the fake shops through Facebook ads, raising questions about social media platforms’ responsibility for hosting fraudulent promotions. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which recently banned a similar fake “British” clothing firm, said platforms like Facebook’s parent company Meta “have a part to play in tackling this issue.”
The BBC has contacted Meta for comment.
Tarnishing Legitimate Businesses
Sunny Pal, who runs Astella Jewellery in Birmingham, said such scams were damaging the reputation of real small businesses. “The lying ruins the distinguishing factor between different businesses,” he said. “It takes the credibility away from family-run businesses that have been here for so long.”
After the BBC approached C’est La Vie, its website briefly claimed that all products had sold out before rebranding itself as “Alice and Fred,” only to revert to its original name hours later. The company has not responded to requests for comment.
The Growing AI-Scam Epidemic
Consumer group Which? said the use of AI to fabricate brand identities represents a new and dangerous phase of online fraud. “AI tools are enabling scammers to mislead the public on an unprecedented scale,” said Sue Davies, Which?’s head of consumer protection.
She added that trading standards authorities are “severely under-resourced” and ill-equipped to investigate the surge in fraudulent online storefronts.
Davies urged consumers to verify seller addresses, read customer reviews, and check terms and conditions before making purchases.
AI Makes Fakes Harder to Spot
Experts warn that AI’s rapid advancement will make it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and fake online retailers.
Professor Lee advised shoppers to look for inconsistencies in images — such as identical backgrounds or unnaturally “perfect” appearances — and to seek verifiable human details like staff photos in different settings or references to real locations.
“Soon,” he cautioned, “the challenge might not be proving whether a site is AI-generated, but whether there’s a real human involved at all.”
