Recently, a concerning trend has emerged among some consumers: they've been leveraging AI tools to fabricate images depicting product defects, like damaged packaging or moldy food, in an attempt to secure refunds from merchants. This practice has drawn significant attention from those working in the e-commerce sector. A reporter's hands - on test revealed that when AI - generated fake images lack obvious watermarks, merchants are virtually powerless to tell the real from the fake.

Such fraudulent activities are predominantly concentrated in product categories such as low - value household items and fresh food, mainly affecting small and medium - sized merchants. Experts have weighed in on the matter, stating that obtaining refunds through the forgery of images using AI amounts to civil fraud and may expose individuals to legal risks.

To curb such unscrupulous behavior, merchants can take proactive steps. They can request buyers to furnish multi - angle photos or videos as evidence to substantiate their claims. Meanwhile, the "Measures for the Identification of Artificial Intelligence - Generated and Synthesized Content," which came into effect on September 1, mandate the active declaration and identification of AI - generated content when it is published. This is aimed at regulating the use of such content and preventing its misuse.