The ACCC says shoppers can no longer trust an online store by its appearance, as AI-built ghost stores impersonate real Australian retailers. For legitimate operators the risk is brand theft, not just consumer harm. Here is how to spot and shut down a fake version of your business.
The Take: The ACCC has told Australian shoppers they can no longer judge an online store by how it looks, because AI now builds a convincing fake in minutes. For a real operator that is not a consumer story, it is a brand story. The trust you spent years earning is now the exact thing being counterfeited.
The catch: The ACCC says consumers can no longer rely on appearance alone to tell a real online business from a fake, as AI-generated "ghost stores" flood ecommerce, according to SmartCompany. Ghost stores pose as local Australian retailers while shipping low-quality goods from overseas, and generative AI now writes the copy, builds the site and fakes the product photography. ASIC gave a matching warning that a quick online search is no longer enough, because scammers use AI to spin vast webs of deepfake endorsements.
Who pays: The shopper who gets burned is one loss. The heavier one lands on the real business whose name, look and reviews get cloned. A customer who buys a knock-off believing it was you does not blame the scammer, they blame you and they say so in your reviews and your inbox.
How long it now takes AI to stand up a convincing fake storefront that borrows a real brand's name and imagery
The counter: Most operators have no idea a fake version of them exists until a customer complains. There is no alert. The platforms hosting these stores are slow to act and the fakes return under new names. Waiting to be told is a plan to find out last.
For Australian operators: