Did you ever come across this type of "small business" on your fyp? If yes, be careful, because all of it is AI!
Most social media users have probably seen small business owners in their feeds. People are always trying to sell their handcrafted jewelry or crocheted animals online. While most of these businesses were probably legitimate two years ago, you need to be very careful about this certain type of video on your feed: sad children and crying grandmothers complaining that no one wants to buy their self-made products. Why? Because these people aren’t real.
Gaining Pity Through Commercials
Dropshippers often use similar commercials. The story is almost always the same: A person whom many people might feel sorry for – like a child or an elderly person – wants to sell their handmade items, but no one wants to buy them. Sometimes they even get bullied for trying to make a sale. Despite putting so much time and effort into them. This makes them very sad and of course, they cry. More tears roll down their cheeks than AI uses water.
@crochet.bible do you think they are okay? #smallbusiness #curtain #handmade #crochetcurtain
original sound - Crochet Bible
@cathypedrayes The AI grandparent scams use your empathy and kindness to manipulate you. They know most people would defend a granny being bullied on the internet. They know you'll comment encouraging words which only helps them go viral & sell their products. It's all fake. #AI #scamalert #grandparentscam #Aisvam #tech #shopsafely #onlinesafety
original sound - Cathy
These commercials appeal to your empathy. Who wouldn't want to help a grandmother in need? Out of pity, many people fall for scams like this.
But it doesn’t stop there. Some videos even feature people with Down syndrome, exploiting their disability to make a sale.
@huntersglowlamp Comment ''LINK'' if you buy one #trucker #handmade #resinlamps
son original - user43815447471
This isn't the only type of commercial, but it may be the most infuriating. In other commercials, you see products that look too good to be true – and they are. Maybe they are real, but three sizes too small, made of poor quality, or just kind of ugly in real life.
None of the things you see in this type of commercial actually exist like this in reality. The handmade items, grandmothers, and children are all AI-generated to lure you into buying a cheap product at a high price.
"Handmade" And In Reality It's AliExpress
The so-called "handmade" products that supposedly took hours to make and were carefully crafted with love are actually the opposite. Items like lamps, coasters and watches actually come from a third-party seller.
Dropshipping has nothing to do with crafting, and it doesn't require much skill. The products being sold actually come from a third-party supplier. The actual price of the items is very low, but the dropshipping store sells them for much higher prices and keeps the difference. The scammer – sorry, the dropshipper – doesn't even need to have the item on hand because the third-party seller will send it directly to the customer.
This might sound like an easy way to make money, but it's unethical, especially when you exploit customers' pity to make sales by scamming them into thinking they're helping a young man with Down syndrome.
