Veteran conned by AI ex-soldier's 'pity scam'

Experts have warned of a growing wave of AI-generated "pity scams" using fake videos of injured ex-military personnel to sell products online.

Army veteran Raymond Gilbert, 63, from Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, said he was scammed by a TikTok account claiming to belong to a fellow ex-serviceman.

He spent £154.99 buying a "handmade" wooden flag that he said turned out to be made in China. The BBC identified 45 similar TikTok accounts, along with more on other platforms, selling military-themed items.

A TikTok spokesperson said it had strict rules against "harmfully misleading AI-generated content and scams" and that it had removed the content and accounts shared with them.

Gilbert was a quality manager for the British Army in Afghanistan, working at Camp Bastion and Kandahar.

"I was scrolling through TikTok and this guy came up who had hurt himself, working from a garage making flags to supplement his income," he said.

"I thought it was endearing, his wife was supporting him, and the final product looked good."

Gilbert said he clicked through to an external website to make his purchase.

"I checked it, and it all did look very good; there were previous sales, and everything looked kosher," he said.

When the parcel arrived, Gilbert said there was Chinese writing on the envelope, and the flag was a printed image on glued plywood.

"It is a despicable, insidious way of trying to con somebody; it's a low moral thing to do," he said.

"People need to be aware that AI is getting better and humans are getting worse."

The BBC has seen similar videos on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, with sellers offering bags, chopping boards and door wreaths.

Many raise suspicions due to the veterans' injuries changing, stories being copied across different accounts and the videos looking professionally produced.

When asked about the claims that they were fake, one account, @ogudujona, said "these are made in London sir", but declined to give details of their regiment or time served in the forces.

Technology expert Will Guyatt said he had seen an increase in what he called "pity scam" videos online.

"The reality is these videos are made in minutes," he said.

"You can even say [to the chatbots] when you're creating them to make it more deliberately emotional.

"It's really hard to tell the difference; back in the old days these characters might have had six fingers on a hand, but now it looks almost identical to reality."

Guyatt added that dozens of bot accounts then flood the comments of the AI videos to encourage people to buy them.

Guyatt gave his tips to avoid falling for AI scams like this:

1. Look closely for mistakes in videos, like extra fingers or items disappearing
2. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is
3. Ask an internet savvy friend or family member
4. Check for the products being sold elsewhere online

Senior associate at Forbes Solicitors, Daniel Fletcher, said: "Consumers have the right to a refund, but the territorial nature of these adverts means it's difficult to actually exercise these rights.

"We're relying on these e-commerce platforms to proactively take down these adverts, but once it's taken down, the trader will create a new platform and put it back up again.

"The Advertising Standards Authority tries its best to inform consumers, but it is quite difficult to police.

"In many respects, we're fighting a bit of a losing battle."

Ex-serviceman Simon Gray, a resident at the Alabaré home in Bristol, said he was "disgusted" by the videos.

"A close friend of mine was done by an IED in Afghanistan...I got slightly choked watching these; it looks so believable," he said.

"It's on a sick level; this will harm veterans in the long run.

"We rely on people's kindness and donations to not be sleeping on the streets."

"This is just horrific," he added.

Fellow resident Leo Dromgoole said the videos made him "angry".

"There are criminals, and then there are criminals, and people like that [making these videos] they're even further down the line," he added.

Genuine veteran charities say that scam videos using fake veterans and made-up stories of hardship could make their job harder.

Spencer Bull, from Help for Heroes, said: "It's a real shame that we've come to this position in life; it breaks down the trust between veterans and the charities who are there to support individuals.

"It damages the reputation of the service charities who are doing a lot to support individuals, and yet when you watch the AI videos, it would suggest that there's no support out there, and actually there is quite a lot of support out there."

Faye Tryhorne, from Alabaré, said: "As a general rule, veterans are well-regarded, and to be able to support them is a common cause.

"By having people scammed by buying these products, there's a risk that veterans who do need the support are left behind."

TikTok said it had removed all 45 accounts identified by the BBC, and said in a statement: "We enforce strict rules against harmfully misleading AI-generated content and scams, and we have removed the violative content and accounts shared with us.

"We continue to strengthen our safety strategies while also empowering our community with resources on how to navigate AI-generated content and how to spot and report potential scams."

A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said: "We don't allow content that uses deceptive or misleading practices and have removed the accounts and content that violate our policies.

"Our community standards apply to all content on our platforms regardless of whether it features AI-generated content or not."

YouTube has also been approached for comment.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.