Criminals are ‘poisoning’ AI (artificial intelligence) models such as Chat GPT and other large language models (LLMs) so that they pick up scam websites and recommend them to consumers searching online, according to National Trading Standards (NTS) and Ask Silver, a free consumer scam checking platform.

Data shared by Ask Silver show ‘copycat’ websites cloned from legitimate businesses are being recommended in AI-search results. The websites use fake web addresses that look similar to the real site and take payment for products that never arrive. These websites are getting hundreds of visitors per day through AI recommendations, putting consumers at risk of landing on scam websites.

Known as ‘poisoning attacks’, criminals can compromise the safety of LLMs by injecting malicious documents into their training data, recent research indicates.* These documents can plant a hidden weakness in an AI system. When triggered by certain words or phrases, the AI may produce inaccurate information, malfunction or carry out actions that its developers never intended.

Because of the relatively small number of malicious documents that can poison even the biggest of the LLMs, the findings suggest that influencing AI systems may be easier and cheaper for criminals than previously thought, representing a huge emerging threat to consumers and businesses.

National Trading Standards is today urging consumers who use AI search to check that they are on a genuine website before buying anything. One way to do this is via approved tools such as those by Ask Silver or Get Safe Online, which can check if a website is legitimate and provide advice in just a few seconds.

Louise Baxter MBE, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team said:

“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.

“People should not assume that a website is genuine simply because it has been recommended by an AI tool. The best defence is to stop and think. A quick check before buying anything or giving any personal information could prevent you from becoming the victim of a scam.”

Alex Somervell, co-founder of Ask Silver, said:

“We came across this deeply concerning trend thanks to the thousands of UK consumers using our free Scam Checker. Criminals are becoming increasingly skilled at creating websites that closely mimic trusted brands, making them difficult to spot with the naked eye. We were shocked to find that these clone sites are now being recommended by AI. This is likely the beginning of a new pattern of behaviour in fraud, and may be just the tip of the iceberg.

“A recommendation from an online search or from AI can be the start of your research, but not the end of it. It’s always worth taking a few seconds to verify the website before entering any personal information or payment details. Scam checkers such as Ask Silver can help people identify warning signs before they become victims, and help alert others.”

Fraud and scams can be reported to Report Fraud (www.reportfraud.police.uk), or you can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service for advice on 0808 223 1133.

The NTS Scams Team has launched a free app to help people to protect themselves using their phone. The app includes scam alerts, prevention tips, clear advice on what to do if targeted and signposts to trusted sources of help. To download the app, visit the Friends Against Scams website (www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk).

We are delighted to have been named Consultancy of the Year at the Better Society Awards 2026, making this the second consecutive year we have received the award.

The judges recognised our evidence-led approach to communications and our ability to help charities, public bodies and purpose-driven organisations translate complex social and environmental issues into clear, accessible and impactful public engagement.

As a certified B Corp consultancy, we specialise in sustainability, social impact and environmental communications, working exclusively on projects where communications can contribute meaningfully to positive change. Over the past year, we have continued to expand our strategic consultancy offer, helping organisations strengthen messaging, demonstrate impact and build public trust.

The judges were particularly impressed by our ability to combine measurable communications performance with genuine societal impact, highlighting our work translating complex evidence into communications that improve understanding, influence behaviour and support informed public debate.

Among the projects recognised was our work with Oceana UK on the launch of Deep Decline, a major scientific report examining the environmental impact of overfishing in UK waters. By helping translate complex scientific evidence into clear, accurate and compelling communications, the campaign generated extensive national and international media coverage while maintaining the integrity of the research.

The award also recognised our wider work supporting organisations including Hubbub, Nordoff and Robbins, Keep Britain Tidy and National Trading Standards.

The Better Society Awards celebrate organisations and partnerships making a positive contribution to society through responsible business and impactful communications. We are incredibly proud to see our team, clients and partners recognised once again for the role strategic communications can play in creating meaningful social and environmental change.

Fraud is now the most frequently reported crime in the UK, and all of us are exposed to harm. Online scams and impersonations affect people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. Criminals use automated tools, AI and spoofed identities to reach people at scale – and the international and organised nature of the criminality means prosecutions aren’t easy.

This isn’t a fringe problem. It’s a national public protection issue hiding in plain sight.

The recent and, frankly, scandalous Grok episode, which saw people’s images manipulated in disturbing ways, underlines a familiar challenge that is a focus for today’s Safer Internet day: emerging technology evolves faster than public understanding and legislation. What looks like innovation one week can quickly become a flashpoint for trust the next. For us, that reinforces a clear belief: online safety cannot be an afterthought. Prevention has to be built in from the start – and communicated clearly, early and often.

At Barley, we see behaviour change communications as a form of infrastructure. If people don’t understand the risk, or don’t see themselves in it, they won’t act, which in turn keeps demand high and allows criminality to persist.

If the harm is too distant, behaviour won’t change

Barley works with partners tackling this reality head-on. Alongside organisations like National Trading Standards, we support work that monitors and investigates a broad range of online crimes – from misleading ‘copycat’ websites and subscription traps to shopping fraud and the sale of illegal products – while helping consumers make safer choices.

We’ve also worked with the Intellectual Property Office, where online harm is often less visible but no less serious. Counterfeit and illicit goods traded online don’t just undermine businesses and innovation; they expose consumers to dangerous products and fund organised crime. When intellectual property crime feels abstract, demand persists. When its real-world consequences are made clear, behaviour starts to shift.

This link between online activity and offline harm runs through much of our work. Illicit tobacco and underage knife sales promoted through digital channels don’t stay online – they show up on high streets, in school playgrounds and in local communities. Our role as communicators is to tackle demand, while enforcement partners disrupt supply. To do that effectively, the harm has to feel close, credible and real. If it’s too distant, behaviour won’t change.

That urgency is reflected in the growing public conversation around AI-enabled fraud. Just last week, we were at MediaCity in Salford with National Trading Standards for an interview on BBC Breakfast, discussing new AI tactics being used by criminals to set up direct debits in their name. Before the interview one of the presenters – Charlie Stayt – mentioned to our spokesperson how more and more consumer protection issues are being covered by national media. The fact these issues are now being explored on national breakfast television is telling: online fraud is no longer a niche or technical concern – it’s a mainstream risk affecting everyday lives.

The rise of sophisticated, AI-enabled fraud is also driving innovation in prevention. One emerging example is Falkin, a UK-based digital safety start-up we supported last year, whose tools embed scam detection directly into banking and fintech apps – flagging risky links, requests and messages before payments are made.

This kind of proactive intervention reflects a shift we strongly support: moving away from passive warnings and towards intercepting harm at the moment of persuasion. It’s about designing safety into systems, not relying on people to spot increasingly convincing deception on their own.

Through our communications work, we’ve consistently challenged the idea that fraud is an inevitable cost of digital life. It isn’t. With the right combination of technology, enforcement and communication, it’s a solvable public protection challenge.

Beyond age limits: a national conversation on regulation

Politically, the UK is grappling with how to translate growing concern into effective policy. Proposals to restrict social media access for younger people have gained traction, bringing questions of responsibility, enforcement and unintended consequences into the mainstream.

Later this month, The Stationers’ and Newspapers’ Company and The London Press Club will host an event asking a deceptively simple question: should youngsters be banned from social media? As ever, the answer is likely to be complex. Online harms affect people of all ages, and regulation will need to balance protection, freedom and practicality.

Whatever the policy direction, communication will be critical – helping people understand not just what decisions are being made, but why, and how they reduce real-world harm.

Communications to tackle demand

Safer Internet Day should be a launchpad, not a once-a-year reminder. In our view, the strongest defence against online harm sits at the intersection of supply (tackled by enforcement) and demand (tackled by behaviour change and public awareness campaigns).

At Barley, we’re committed to helping partners translate complex risks into clear, actionable messages that resonate with people’s real lives.

Chilling new wave of AI-assisted fraud targets older people and clones their voices

Criminals are using AI technology to clone people’s voices and set up unauthorised direct debits over the phone, according to new evidence from National Trading Standards. The advanced voice cloning is part of an organised criminal operation that harvests people’s personal data to target victims with a wave of scam and nuisance calls.

The process begins with a so-called ‘lifestyle survey’ phone call – seemingly harmless, but in fact designed to gather detailed personal, health and financial information. The criminals use this data to develop AI-generated voice clones used to simulate consent for direct debits, deceiving even legitimate businesses and financial providers. These details appear then to be passed or sold to other criminal operations who, with the details, can easily circumvent the banks and set up payments without the victim’s knowledge. Victims often do not realise payments are being taken.

The details are revealed as new data, released today by National Trading Standards, show that*:

On average, UK adults receive 7 scam calls or texts per month
1 in 5 (21%) receive scam calls or texts most days – and almost 1 in 10 (9%) receive them every day
NTS blocked nearly 21 million scam phone calls and shut down 2,000 numbers in a six-month period.

Louise Baxter, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team, said:

“What we’re seeing is a deeply disturbing combination of old and new: traditional phone scams supported by disturbing new techniques. Criminals are using AI not just to deceive victims, but to trick legitimate systems into processing fraudulent payments. This is no longer just a nuisance – it’s a coordinated, sophisticated operation targeting some of the most situationally vulnerable consumers in society. We urge everyone to speak to friends and relatives about scam calls, check bank statements regularly and report anything suspicious.”

Through Operation Derdap, NTS has blocked nearly 21 million scam phone calls and shut down 2,000 numbers in the last 6 months. The operation began in 2022 when it was identified that UK consumers were being cold called and coerced into providing financial and personal details to the criminals who then took continuous payments from consumers’ accounts.

John Herriman, Chief Executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said:

“This alarming new twist in phone-based fraud shows just how quickly criminals are exploiting emerging technologies to prey on the public. Voice cloning takes scam calls to a sinister new level, making it even harder for legitimate businesses and consumers to distinguish real interactions from fraudulent ones.

“Trading Standards teams across the UK are working tirelessly to disrupt these operations, but we need the public to stay alert, talk to loved ones about the risks, and report anything suspicious. Protecting consumers, especially those most vulnerable, requires all of us to stay informed and work together to tackle these modern day and emerging examples of fraud.”

Case study – Operation Derdap: disrupting a loft insulation scam:

NTS prevented an estimated 43m scam calls from one voice call provider in a three-month period in 2025, having identified the US-based company as the source of 300m loft insulation scam phone calls since February 2025.

In July 2025, NTS analysed the monthly top 500 nuisance call numbers provided by trueCall (which monitors approximately 10,000 UK call blocking units). A significant pattern emerged: 78 new numbers had surfaced within a single month, all linked to one VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) provider.

NTS investigators analysed these calls and found a cynical scam that targeted elderly or vulnerable homeowners and followed four key stages:

Cold calling – Victims were told they qualified for government-backed or free insulation checks. 90% of those called were registered with the Telephone Preference Service (marketing calls cannot be made to them without express consent)
Deception – Callers used avatar software (pre-recorded scripts) with British accents to mimic a live call, disguising the Indian call centre origins.
Inspections – Agents visited victims’ homes and charged inflated prices for insulation.
Re-contact – Victims were called again and falsely told that the insulation was unsafe and needed urgent removal, for which further fees were demanded.

The criminal organisation’s telecoms contract was terminated, and an alert has been issued to all communications service providers to be vigilant, as the firm is expected to seek further numbers from different providers. NTS is grateful for the swift, collaborative action taken by the telecoms company to disrupt this criminal operation.

A new enforcement approach between National Trading Standards (NTS), local authority Trading Standards, Scottish Trading Standards Services and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has led to more than £1.4 million in civil penalties being issued to retailers and individuals involved in the sale of illicit tobacco.

The £1 million milestone, reached in late November 2025, had risen to £1.4 million by early January 2026. It comes as enforcement activity against illegal sellers continues to grow, with the strengthened partnership between NTS and HMRC speeding up investigations and delivering tougher sanctions for those supplying or selling illegal tobacco products.

The stronger powers, which came into force in July 2023, enable local authority Trading Standards officers to make direct referrals to HMRC. HMRC can then investigate and issue civil sanctions, including penalties of up to £10,000. This has led to unprecedented sanctions, which escalate for persistent offenders, since the referral approach began in October 2023.

Retailers who sell illicit tobacco risk being removed from the Tobacco Track and Trace (TT&T) system which is required to be part of the legitimate UK tobacco market.

The enforcement approach is part of Operation CeCe, a joint UK-wide initiative between HMRC and Trading Standards to target the illicit tobacco trade. Since it began in January 2021, the operation has removed more than 74 million illicit cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale.

Lord Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said:

“Illegal tobacco harms communities, undermines legitimate retailers and fuels wider criminal activity. The vast majority of retailers play by the rules. These sanctions demonstrate that we are taking decisive action against those who don’t.

“We urge anyone tempted to sell illegal tobacco to think again. The organised criminals supplying you don’t care about your community, your business or your safety – and you’re funding their wider criminal exploits as well as risking tougher penalties by selling their products.”

Alexandra Connell, Chair of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) said:

“Scottish Trading Standards Services welcome the opportunity to work with colleagues at NTS and HMRC in the ongoing, targeted effort against the supply of illegal tobacco products in our communities. We know full well of the detrimental impact this illicit trade has on legitimate businesses, and the amounts of money this raises for organised crime.

“We have rapidly adopted the Sanction regime which sits alongside our existing powers to report those involved with the associated criminality to the Crown. Since the inception of the Sanctions regime, our colleagues in local authority teams have submitted almost 250 referrals to HMRC to consider.

“We will continue to do so as we appreciate that this is an effective and efficient means of denying organised criminals any profits gained through their abuse of the tax system.”

Rachel Nixon, HMRC Director Indirect Tax, said:

“These tougher enforcement sanctions strengthen HMRC’s ability to hit illicit tobacco sellers’ pockets with penalties of up to £10,000, which harms the wider criminal supply chain.

“Successful collaboration with Trading Standards continues to tackle the sale of illicit tobacco, which is estimated to cost the UK around £1.8 billion each year in lost tax revenue, undercutting retail businesses and funding crime across our communities.

“We encourage anyone with information about the smuggling, sale or supply of illicit tobacco to report it online.”

The clampdown aims to protect honest businesses by targeting the criminal networks and opportunistic sellers who profit from illegal tobacco, often at the expense of local communities and legitimate trade.

Retailers are being encouraged to check that their own tobacco sales processes meet legal requirements and to report any concerns about illegal sales in their area.

Report anonymously to HMRC by searching ‘report fraud HMRC’ on GOV.UK
Or contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline 0808 223 1133
In Scotland contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000

More than 20 million UK adults have signed up to a subscription without realising it, and of these, 4.7 million are STILL paying for a subscription they didn’t ask for, according to new figures released today by National Trading Standards. The data reveal the widespread impact of so-called ‘silent scams’ that involve low value but high-volume thefts.

Silent scams can include ‘subscription traps’, where consumers are automatically signed up to regular payments after making a single purchase or agreeing to a free trial, as well as one-off purchases based on misleading information where the item is of poor quality and not as expected. Due to their relatively low value, these payments often go unnoticed, unchallenged and unreported.

The research also reveals that UK consumers would need to have an average of £143 stolen before they would even consider reporting a scam – a threshold that lots of criminals are exploiting. Nearly one in five (18%) scam victims who didn’t report the crime said the amount stolen was too small to be worth reporting.

The silent scam epidemic in numbers:

38% of people have signed up to a subscription without realising it
Of these, nearly a quarter (23%) are still unknowingly paying for these subscriptions
17% didn’t realise quickly money was leaving their account, and 8% took over three months to notice
44% have ordered an item online that turned out to be poor quality or a fake.

Whilst the profits from criminal tactics like ‘subscription traps’ may seem small individually, together they represent a large and growing threat to UK consumer confidence and people’s personal finances.

Louise Baxter, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team, said:

“Criminals are draining UK bank accounts one small payment at a time. These ‘silent scams’ are stealing millions from UK households every year, often without victims even knowing. It might be a subscription you never agreed to or a product that wasn’t what it seemed. But these crimes are just as serious and just as damaging. We’re urging everyone to check their bank statements regularly and report all scams, no matter the amount. If we stay silent, the criminals win.”

NTS has launched a free app that will make it easier for people to protect themselves using their phone. The app includes scam alerts, practical prevention tips, clear advice on what to do if targeted and signposts to trusted sources of help. People will also have free access to NTS’ scam-fighting training on their phone, helping people to protect themselves and their loved ones. To download the app, visit https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/.

If you or someone you know has been targeted by a scam, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

As millions prepare to drive home for Christmas, National Trading Standards is urging motorists to ensure they pay road tolls only on official websites, as new research* finds that a third of Brits risk landing on copycat sites that charge over the odds – and 17% of those who believed they’d paid for government services online were fined for non-payment.

The warning comes after two men who operated more than 40 misleading copycat websites that generated over £2.25m in revenue, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court following an investigation led by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team**. Their fraudulent sites mimicked official government services, targeting people paying essential charges such as the Dartford Crossing, London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and the Mersey Gateway Bridge. Through misleading URLs and prominent search-engine adverts, the criminals tricked thousands of drivers into thinking they were using official payment pages.

Victims were routinely charged inflated fees – for example, £7.50 instead of the (then) official £2.50 Dartford Crossing charge. In many cases the criminals pocketed the difference but often, payments wouldn’t be passed on to the official body at all and many customers received penalty charge notices for unpaid tolls.

As the festive season gets underway, National Trading Standards is warning that copycat websites are still a problem, and its research found that by using search engines, social media or clicking on an ad to find government services, more than a third (34%) of Brits are at high risk of being caught out this Christmas.

Of those who’ve applied for government services online, more than a quarter (26%) have paid a handling charge – which are not needed if you pay the government body directly – one in 5 have paid more than they expected to for the service and 17% have been fined for non-payment.

Mike Andrews, Head of the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, said:
“Victims in this case were ordinary people trying to do the right thing before making their journeys. Many were left frustrated and out of pocket, often only realising they’d been misled after receiving a fine.

“Copycat sites remain a problem and it’s clear from our research that huge numbers of people are paying more than they need to for straightforward services. With so many of us driving long distances over Christmas – often late at night, stressed or in a hurry – it’s easy to click the first link you see. We’re urging motorists to take a moment to check they’re on the official website when paying tolls or emission charges. The easiest way is to go to the road toll page at GOV.UK and search from there.”

A National Highways spokesperson said:
“If you’re travelling this Christmas and need to pay for the Dartford Crossing, always use the official GOV.UK site.

“It’s the safest way to avoid extra charges or penalty charges. Too many people have been caught out by unofficial sites, which can charge more or leave your crossing unpaid – leading to unnecessary penalty charges.

“Please stay vigilant and check carefully before you pay.”

Shashi Verma, TfL’s Director of Technology Strategy and Revenue, said:
“With the festive season in full swing, we’re reminding drivers to pay road user charges only through official channels and avoid a nasty surprise over the holiday period. The easiest way to ensure charges are paid correctly is to set up TfL’s free-to-use Auto Pay service, which automatically takes payment from your account. Signing up in advance means peace of mind and greater convenience for anyone needing to pay Congestion Charge, for the ULEZ or for driving through the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels. If you have been targeted by a scam, please notify us and report it. We work closely with National Trading Standards to tackle scammers who rip off honest motorists and push for the strongest possible action to be taken.”

Anyone who believes they may have used a fraudulent site should contact their bank immediately and report the issue to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.

Sentences handed down on 31 October

Thomas William Gall (42) was jailed for 2 years 3 months and disqualified from acting as a company director for 10 years.
Shezad Parvez (46) received a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, alongside 200 hours of unpaid work, up to 20 rehabilitation activity days, and a six-year director disqualification.

UK shoppers have bought almost 100 million items on the back of glowing online reviews – only to be bitterly disappointed when they arrive, and 6.4 million have lost money to a scam after buying something from clicking on a fake online advert, according to new data released by National Trading Standards (NTS) ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The research found that reviews are a deciding factor for 54% of online shoppers surveyed when choosing what to buy (73% for 25-34s). And almost two thirds (65%) of those using online reviews are more likely to buy a product if it has a five-star rating – highlighting our trust in reviews, many of which are fuelling criminal networks selling poor quality or non-existent goods for easy money.

NTS is warning how criminals use paid individuals, bots and now artificial intelligence (AI) to generate fake reviews on a mass scale – sometimes even entire websites. Consumers will either receive nothing, or they’ll get a bad quality item or a counterfeit of the brand they were expecting.  

The research also found that 14% of respondents who shop online have been scammed after buying something from clicking on an advert on search engines or social media. With only 52% of online shoppers confident they could spot a fake or misleading ad, NTS is reminding UK consumers to be vigilant against the annual Black Friday boom in scam adverts designed to lure customers in with glossy graphics and tempting offers.

This year, a new threat has emerged, with two thirds of online shoppers worried about the use of AI in scams. Not only are fake reviews being posted on legitimate sites using AI, criminals are generating entire fake review websites. These are usually linked to specific high demand products such as air fryers or home vacuums, where generic versions are heralded as being better than the big brands – leaving consumers out of pocket, and sorely disappointed. 

As criminal tactics evolve, NTS is also now regularly taking down AI-generated retail websites that look like real, family-run companies selling premium, UK-made products, such as jewellery, clothing, shoes, workwear and even patriotic memorabilia. These are often fronted by AI images and personal stories of the ‘owners’. The product shipped is cheap, mass produced in countries such as China. Sometimes customers’ own details are then used on the sites’ contact pages, meaning they receive irate calls and messages from other customers.   

To help tackle the criminals and keep consumers safe, NTS is today announcing its appointment as a ‘trusted flagger’ for Google. This status means NTS can work swiftly with the tech giant to take down fake reviews and fake and misleading ads.   

Mike Andrews, head of the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, said:  

“It’s easy to get drawn in by the hype surrounding Black Friday, and it can be a great time to get a bargain, but we urge people not to let their guard down. From now until Christmas the criminals will be making a killing with scams that are becoming ever more audacious thanks to the emergence of AI.  

“Our teams will be working tirelessly to remove fake retail content, but we also ask shoppers to remain alert. They should look wider than reviews and star ratings, avoid buying through ads and treat unknown websites with caution. If people suspect they have been scammed they should report it to Action Fraud or Citizen’s Advice.” 

On the new partnership with Google, Mike Andrews said:  

“Fake reviews and fake and misleading adverts harm honest businesses of all sizes and cause financial loss and distress for consumers. Our appointment as a Google ‘trusted flagger’ is a reflection of our team’s expertise in disrupting the activities of online criminals. By supporting Google with the swift removal of fake reviews and ads on its platforms we look forward to making an even greater impact in the fight against scams and fraud.”  

Fake reviews alone are estimated to influence an estimated £23bn of UK consumer spending every year***. With this money diverted to the criminals, and entire websites springing up that claim to be family-run businesses, it’s clear that small businesses are at particular risk from the harm caused by fake retail content.  

Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:

“As the Christmas shopping season begins, we’re calling on consumers to take care with their planned purchases and make sure they are placed with authentic, brilliant small businesses. 

“This is not a time to let your guard down. Criminals luring consumers in with fake products and reviews hurt people during a cost-of-living crisis, often cruelly targeting the most vulnerable shoppers. It also undercuts honest small firms that play by the rules and are embedded in their local community, driving customers away.

“Small businesses can also be targeted with fake and misleading reviews, which can cause serious damage and can be hard to spot, especially now that fraudsters are using AI. Reporting, detecting and removing fake reviews is therefore critical.”

Tips to protect yourself this Black Friday… and beyond   

Question rave reviews – if multiple similar reviews have been uploaded at the same time, if a reviewer’s account has been activated recently or has only reviewed a narrow range of products, alarm bells should ring.

See beyond the stars – whilst a star rating of 4.5 or 5 can be a good indicator of quality, don’t go by this alone – look at the reviews too and check them against these tips.

Is it AI talking? Genuine reviews will often be personal and specific to the individual’s experience of using the item, whilst a fake is more likely to be vague, using generic words and phrases such as ‘amazing’, ‘awesome’, ‘buy this product’.

Review the reviews – Trusted online review checkers can help you decide if reviews are genuine – current options include TheReviewIndex and RateBud.

Don’t buy from an ad – If you’re tempted by a product, go back to your browser and search the company website separately. Check out a range of well-known independent review sites (such as TrustPilot) and see if you can find other mentions of the website online. And don’t always rely on the padlock symbol as many criminals have cottoned on to this.

Beware fake websites – Don’t automatically trust a website that you don’t know. Look for a company address, phone number and professional email address that you can verify, check out their socials and see if you can find reviews about the company elsewhere online. You can also use a web URL checker to see if it’s listed as a scam site.

Pay securely – Always pay by credit or debit card or a legitimate payment platform (such as PayPal) when shopping online. If a seller asks for a bank transfer or other method of payment, alarm bells should ring.

If you think you have lost money after being duped by a fake online review, misleading ad or a fake website you should report it to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or 0300 123 2040) or seek advice from a Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.     

ENDS

London-based start-up building a digital safety network that helps banks protect people from scams before payments happen

FALKIN uses AI to detect scams before money moves, analysing manipulation and deception across urgent messages, items for sale, payment requests and investment opportunities

Its digital safety tools are embedded directly into banking platforms, protecting customers inside the experiences they already use and trust.
FALKIN is launching Safety Labs to help community banks deploy scam prevention tools

Already tested by banks and tens of thousands of users across the US and UK – 78% say FALKIN makes them more confident online.

FALKIN’s $2 million pre-seed funding round was led by TriplePoint Ventures, with Notion Capital, BackFuture Ventures, Aviva/Founders Factory, Haatch, Found Capital, and Founders Capital. Leading fintech and cyber investors have also invested in the company.

LONDON, TUES 11 NOV 2025, 8AM GMT – FALKIN, a digital safety company that helps people stop scams before payments happen, has today announced it has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by TriplePoint Ventures, with participation from Notion Capital, BackFuture Ventures, Aviva/Founders Factory, Haatch, Found Capital, and Founders Capital. The round also included leading fintech and cyber investors such as Pierre Decote, Group Chief Risk Officer at Revolut and Ben Enckevort, CTO and Co-Founder of Metomic. The investment comes amid rising regulatory and consumer pressure for proactive scam-prevention measures as AI-powered fraud grows globally.

The funding will be used to accelerate hiring, product development, and integrations with financial institutions while supporting the launch of Safety Labs, which gives community banks and credit unions a structured way to easily deploy and evaluate customer-facing scam-prevention tools with minimal lift.

The company is also expanding its integration ecosystem, enabling financial institutions to embed FALKIN’s protection layer directly into digital-banking journeys and communication systems.

FALKIN has already been used by bank innovation teams and tens of thousands of consumers across the US and UK. 78% of users said FALKIN’s tools made them feel more confident engaging online, and more than half said prevention is more valuable than reimbursement. The results show that prevention-first tools that engage consumers before they make payments, significantly reduce risk and strengthen trust.

The company uses a range of AI digital safety tools that analyse manipulation techniques and signs of deception across various communication channels. These tools are embedded directly inside the popular digital tools people already trust, from mobile-banking apps to customer-service portals, so customers are protected before money leaves their account.

AI Scams: The New Frontier of Financial Fraud

Scams have become the defining financial threat of the AI era. Deloitte estimates U.S. losses from authorised push payment fraud could reach $15 billion by 2028, up from $8.3 billion in 2024. In the U.K., over seven million people were affected by scams last year, yet 71% of victims never report them. With prosecution rates below 1%, financial institutions are fighting an invisible enemy with incomplete data and no deterrent.

Despite billions spent annually on fraud and scam detection, most systems activate when money moves – missing the emotional manipulation and deception that causes scams in the first place. The institutional cost is staggering: the true cost of each fraud incident exceeds four times the stolen amount when legal fees, fines, remediation, and staff time are included.

AI has fundamentally changed the threat landscape. Scammers now deploy voice cloning, deepfake video, and sophisticated copywriting tools to create hyper-realistic impersonations at scale – making it nearly impossible for consumers to distinguish legitimate communications from fraud. What once required skilled social engineering can now be executed by anyone with an internet connection.

“AI has blurred the line between what’s real and what’s fake, and traditional systems aren’t built for that reality,” said Sam Stone of TriplePoint Ventures. “FALKIN’s vision to make proactive safety universal has the potential to redefine digital trust. We’re proud to back the team as they work to embed digital safety at the heart of modern finance.”

“The new battlefield isn’t payments – it’s persuasion,” said Boaz Valkin, Co-Founder of FALKIN. “Protection has to move earlier, to the moment before someone clicks, replies, or transfers. We’re turning AI from a weapon of deception into a tool for defense.”

“Modern scams are sophisticated, and no single red flag tells the whole story,” said Joel Frisch, co-founder and COO, FALKIN. “The key is to analyze all the signals that reveal deception to build a complete picture. When we embed that intelligence where trust already lives – inside the banking apps people use every day – protection becomes effortless.”

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy today launches Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight, a national campaign urging the public to protect themselves and their communities from waste criminals, who lure people in with cheap rubbish removal deals on social media, only to illegally dump household waste in our streets, fields and public spaces.

New consumer research reveals that households are unknowingly fuelling the problem by failing to carry out basic checks when hiring someone to collect their rubbish.

According to the YouGov survey, less than half of respondents (46%) were aware they should check for a licence when hiring someone to take away rubbish and of those who were aware, only 13% have ever done so. Almost half (42%) of those who considered hiring someone to remove waste said they simply ‘trusted’ an operator based on their advert, while 19% said they used someone because they were recommended without checking their credentials

Meanwhile, the problem of fly-tipping is escalating rapidly. According to new research carried out by the charity with local authorities, almost three quarters (70%) say fly-tipping is now a ‘major problem’, more than half (56%) report that the issue has grown in the past year and a staggering 40% of fly-tips are now reported to be left by rogue traders rather than individuals.

Nationally, more than 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents were reported in 2023-24 by councils. With estimated costs to landowners and council tax-payers ranging from £100 million to £150 million for clearance and investigation, fly-tipping diverts significant funds away from vital services like schools, social care and parks.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign aims to educate people about how to avoid falling for a #RubbishDeal. Featuring real-life CCTV footage supplied by local authorities, the campaign exposes rogue ‘house clearance’ merchants being caught in the act of dumping large quantities of household rubbish in fields, alleyways and lay-bys.

Keep Britain Tidy is urging anyone getting rid of stuff they no longer want to take three simple steps to avoid falling for a #RubbishDeal that leaves them, their community and their council paying the price.

Ask for a waste carrier registration number
Check it on the Environment Agency’s public register at (visit https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or call 0300 065 3000)
Check you’ll get a receipt

Dr. Anna Scott, Director of Services at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Fly-tipping is a #RubbishDeal for all of us. For the public, for councils, for communities and for the environment. That cheap deal on Facebook or WhatsApp may look like a bargain, but it’s a false economy and it’s you and your community that end up paying the price.

“Fly-tipping isn’t just unsightly, it’s often linked to organised criminal networks making millions of pounds by exploiting gaps in enforcement and undercutting legitimate businesses. It’s a serious criminal offence, and we all have a part to play in stopping it. People need to know that they are responsible for what happens to their own waste, even if they’ve hired someone else to take it away. By doing simple checks and getting a receipt, people can protect themselves, protect their neighbourhoods and ensure public money does not have to spent on clearing up after criminals.”

Further findings of the consumer poll include:

Worsening community impact: More than a third of people (38%) say fly-tipping has increased in the past year and 61% say they feel angry when they see people’s old stuff dumped in their local area
Out of sight, out of mind. Only 1 in 3 (34%) would ask for a receipt or proof of the service when paying someone to remove their rubbish, and less than a quarter (23%) would check where items will be taken and how they will be disposed of.
Confusion over legal ‘duty of care’: Almost half of households (47%) believe the person they hired is responsible if rubbish is dumped illegally, while only one in five (19%) correctly understand that they remain legally responsible as the owner of the items.
Strong support for solutions: 86% of people said they would back schemes requiring retailers to collect old bulky items like sofas or mattresses when delivering new ones, helping to cut fly-tipping at the source.

Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight will run nationwide from 10^th– 23rd November, with local authorities across the country joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy to shine a spotlight on waste crime and share practical advice to help consumers avoid a #RubbishDeal.

To find out more, visit www.keepbritaintidy.org/fight-fly-tipping

The brief

The National Preparedness Commission (NPC) asked Barley to launch its landmark report on the UK’s food resilience, authored by Professor Tim Lang. Just in Case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap examines public readiness, vulnerabilities in the food system and how crises could limit access to food. The report issued a stark warning: the UK’s food security is fragile, and current government, industry and civil-society planning is insufficient. NPC Chair Lord Toby Harris tasked Barley with developing a targeted media strategy, drafting a hard-hitting release and securing coverage to influence policymakers and food-sector leaders.

Insights and approach

Barley worked closely with the NPC and the report’s authors to distil clear, compelling messages that would attract media interest while avoiding alarmist or sensational framing. Our focus was to communicate the seriousness of the UK’s food-security challenge in a credible, policy-relevant way.

Given the report’s call for stronger food policy and improved government planning, we targeted a mix of food, science and farming trade titles, alongside national social-affairs, policy and environment correspondents to reach policymakers and industry leaders.

To maximise impact, we set an embargo for the morning of publication and began outreach to priority journalists and broadcasters well ahead of launch. This enabled us to secure pre-recorded interviews for release on launch day, including Farming Today, as well as longer-lead programmes such as The Food Programme. We also anchored our pitch to current debates on proposed US trade tariffs, ensuring timely relevance and strengthening the news hook.

As a result, we secured high-quality interviews for Professor Tim Lang with leading journalists, including the Guardian’s Environment correspondent, Financial Times’ Public Policy Correspondent and The Grocer’s International Trade Editor, positioning the report at the centre of national and sector-specific conversations on food resilience.

Results

The report generated strong national and sector media impact. Its findings were covered by The Guardian and highlighted in Politico’s London Playbook. It led BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today, which ran an in-depth interview with Professor Tim Lang. Barley also secured an interview with Lord Ed Davey on Times Radio and a full BBC Radio 4 Food Programme dedicated to food preparedness, featuring both Sir Toby Harris and Tim—directly reaching core policymaker audiences.

Extensive trade coverage across food, retail, supply chain, farming and agriculture titles ensured the report reached senior industry figures. Advance briefings with the National Farmers’ Union generated additional attention, supported by comments from the NFU President.

The report also gained significant traction on X (Twitter), including engagement from influential farmer and commentator James Rebanks. Monthly title BBC Science Focus further amplified the findings in a wider feature on national preparedness.

Get in touch

If the harm is too distant, behaviour won’t change

Beyond age limits: a national conversation on regulation

Communications to tackle demand

The brief

Insights and approach

Results

55

11

6

126m

Get in touch

If the harm is too distant, behaviour won’t change

Prevention as a driver for changing social norms

Beyond age limits: a national conversation on regulation

Communications to tackle demand

The brief

Insights and approach

Results

55

11

6

126m