Food festivals across UK exploited in AI-powered scam, BBC finds
Small food and craft businesses in the UK are being targeted by sophisticated AI-powered scams mimicking legitimate food festival applications. Scammers use realistic branding and detailed site knowledge to trick traders into paying for fake pitches.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing threat of AI in lowering the barrier to entry for cybercriminals to conduct highly convincing social engineering attacks.
Image source, Tim Woodier Image caption, Food festivals like Abergavenny are vital points in the calendar for many catering businesses
British food festivals are being used to target small food and craft businesses in a scam made possible by artificial intelligence (AI).
A BBC Wales investigation found dozens of traders received professional-looking emails purporting to be from festivals with any requests for money only coming after multiple emails are exchanged.
One trader whose "heart sank" when she discovered she had lost money, said that despite spotting scams regularly, the multiple emails she exchanged were "so realistic" that she fell for one.
Abergavenny Food Festival said the accessibility of AI meant scammers could reach more people with scams that look "far more believable".
Image source, Harriet Thomas Image caption, Harriet attends food and craft festivals and runs workshops across south Wales
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