AI-generated ‘pity scams’ use fake wounded veterans to sell goods online

Scammers are using artificial intelligence to fabricate videos of injured ex-soldiers and sell cheap merchandise to sympathetic buyers, according to a report from the BBC that identified 45 such accounts on TikTok alone.

Raymond Gilbert, 63, a British Army veteran from Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, told the BBC he spent 155 pounds on a “handmade” wooden flag after seeing a TikTok video of a man who appeared to be an injured ex-serviceman making flags in his garage to supplement his income. Mr. Gilbert, who worked as a British Army quality manager at Camp Bastion and Kandahar in Afghanistan, said he clicked through to an outside website, where a record of earlier sales made the seller look legitimate.

When the parcel arrived, he said, it had Chinese writing on the envelope, and the flag was a printed image on glued plywood.

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“It is a despicable, insidious way of trying to con somebody,” Mr. Gilbert told the BBC.

The BBC said it found similar videos on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, with sellers offering bags, chopping boards and door wreaths. It said many of the videos raised suspicion because the veterans’ injuries changed between clips, the same stories appeared across different accounts, and the footage looked professionally produced. In one case, a bag advertised for 65 pounds was replaced with a different, cheaper item when it arrived, the BBC reported.

Asked about claims that its videos were fake, one account, @ogudujona, told the BBC its products were “made in London sir” but declined to say which regiment it served in or for how long.

Technology expert Will Guyatt told the BBC that such videos “are made in minutes” and that creators can prompt AI chatbots to make them more emotional. He said dozens of bot accounts then flood the comments to encourage purchases. His advice to consumers includes checking whether the product is sold elsewhere online and asking an internet-savvy friend or relative.

Consumers are entitled to refunds, but the cross-border nature of the adverts makes that right hard to exercise, said Daniel Fletcher, a senior associate at Forbes Solicitors. Sellers simply relaunch after a takedown, he told the BBC, adding that “we’re fighting a bit of a losing battle.”

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Veterans’ groups warn the scams could hurt those who genuinely need help. Spencer Bull of Help for Heroes, a veterans’ charity, told the BBC the videos erode trust between veterans and the charities that support them, and wrongly suggest that little support exists. Faye Tryhorne of Alabare, a charity that runs veteran housing, said there is a risk that veterans who need support “are left behind.”

Simon Gray, an ex-serviceman living at an Alabaré home in Bristol, told the BBC he was “disgusted” by the videos and believed they would harm veterans in the long run.

TikTok said it removed all 45 accounts the BBC identified and that it enforces strict rules against harmfully misleading AI-generated content and scams. A Meta spokesperson said the company removed accounts and content that violated its policies on Facebook and Instagram. YouTube said it terminated several of the flagged channels for violating its spam, deceptive-practices and scams policies.

This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times' original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com

The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.