When AI Sends You to a Scam Website

Some places reveal their story a little more each time you visit. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze returns to Constellation Coffee in Apple Valley, MN, and discovers the shop's mission of creating meaningful jobs for adults with disabilities, a moment that connects straight back to her own roots as a special education teacher. From there, Jen breaks down a scam hiding in plain sight: AI tools like ChatGPT confidently recommending fake retailer websites built by criminals to catch shoppers off guard. 

It started with a simple request for handbag recommendations and ended with a scam site so convincing it passed every visual check. The catch? AI doesn't vet trust, it just finds what's out there, and scammers know it. 

Key Topics Covered:  

• How scammers build fake retailer sites that AI tools unknowingly recommend 
• Why AI can find information but can't judge whether a business is trustworthy 
• The 30-second website check that can save your money and your data  
• Red flags to watch for: too-good discounts and the word "official" in a URL  
• A personal story connecting Jen's teaching career to this episode's coffee shop 

☕ Featured Coffee Shop: Constellation Coffee, Apple Valley, MN 

Don't let AI do the vetting for you. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity tips delivered from coffee shops across the country, and share this with someone who shops online. 

#Cybersecurity #AIScams #OnlineShopping #ChatGPT #ScamAwareness #InfoSec #CyberSafety #DigitalTrust #SipCyber 

Transcript

Jen Lotze 0:04

Hey there, coffee lovers and internet explorers. Welcome back to Sip Cyber, where I'm on a quest for two things the perfect cup of coffee and the simplest way to keep your digital life safe. Some places reveal themselves a little more each time you visit. That was my experience walking back into Constellation Coffee in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The first time I came here, I knew I'd found a great coffee shop. I love the coffee, the welcoming atmosphere, and the feeling that people genuinely enjoyed being there. But I didn't know the story behind this place. This time, when I returned, I learned that Constellation was built around a simple but powerful mission, creating meaningful jobs for adults with disabilities. That mission touched me in a way I wasn't expecting because before I ever worked in cybersecurity, I was a special education teacher. One of the most rewarding experiences of my teaching career was opening Calvin's coffee shop with my students. Watching them learn how to greet customers, prepare drinks, navigate the building independently, solve problems, and build confidence was incredible. In fact, Calvin became a finalist for the Wisconsin Entrepreneur of the Year because of what that little coffee shop accomplished. So sitting here at Constellation, watching employees proudly serve their customers, I couldn't help but smile. Some moments connect different chapters of your life, and this was one of mine. Constellation was found by Liza Robson after seeing how difficult it was for her son and so many other adults with disabilities to find meaningful employment. She wanted to create more than a coffee shop. She wanted to create a place where people are seen for what they can do and not what others assume they can't. The coffee shop reflects that mission in so many thoughtful ways. It's designed to be sensory friendly with a quieter atmosphere that helps everyone feel comfortable. There's even a resource center inside the coffee shop, creating another place where families know they're welcome. None of those things are flashy. They're simply genuine. And that's what stayed with me. Trust in the real world usually grows that way. It comes from people, from consistency, from taking the time to know someone's story. Online, though, that's exactly what criminals are trying to imitate. A recent scam shows just how convincing they've become. Someone asked Chat GPT to recommend popular Russell and Bromley handbags. Really cute handbags. The AI responded with great suggestions, prices, and links that appeared to lead to the retailer's website. Only they didn't. Some of those websites were sophisticated copies created by scammers. The pages looked professional. The photos were beautiful. The discounts looked exciting. Everything about the experience felt authentic until someone entered their payment information and tried to order that amazing bag. The bag never arrived. Instead, the scammers walked away with their money and their financial information. What's interesting isn't that AI is trying to trick us. That's not new. What's happening is that scammers are learning how AI finds information. They build websites that look almost identical to the real retailer. They copy the logo, product photos, the descriptions, and even the writing style. They choose web addresses that look believable at first and even sometimes second glance. Then they work to make those sites visible online so search engines like Google, Bing, whatever, and AI tools can discover them. If someone asks AI where to buy that particular handbag, the fake site may appear right alongside the legitimate website because, on the surface, it looks authentic. AI isn't making a judgment about whether a business can be trusted or not. It's finding information that's available online. The scammers are counting on us to assume that if AI found it, it must be safe. And they understand how trust works. That brings me to one small step that helps. If AI recommends a retailer or a website, think of that recommendation as the beginning of your search, not the end. Before you enter a password or your credit card number or any personal information, take 30 seconds to verify you're on the company's official website, look carefully at the web address, and be skeptical of unusually large discounts. Sometimes a discount's just too good to be true. And remember that legitimate businesses rarely need to convince you that they're official by putting that word in their web address. Sometimes 30 seconds is all it takes to avoid months of frustration. As I sat at Constellation Coffee finishing my drink, I kept thinking about what makes this place special. It isn't just the coffee, it's the people. It's the mission. It's the quiet confidence that comes from knowing exactly who they are. And maybe that's something worth remembering online too. The people and businesses that deserve our trust usually earn it over time. The ones demanding it loudly and officially instantly deserve another look. Check again. Thanks for joining me on this trip to Constellation Coffee in Apple Valley and for taking a small step to secure digital life. Until then, stay safe, stay human, and keep sipping.