Generative AI is seemingly reshaping e-commerce. A new study reveals AI is also accelerating a hidden crisis: counterfeit shopping is spiking. According to The Counterfeit Buyer Teardown, nearly a third of buyers seeking counterfeits use AI to help find fake goods online, with social media ads redirecting to fraudulent sites surging 179 percent year-over-year.
The research exposes how influencers, deceptive pricing, and realistic product listings are collectively driving both accidental and intentional imitation purchases—turning platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and major U.S. marketplaces into counterfeit hotbeds.
As AI exacerbates brand impersonation, Red Points executives are available to discuss implications and impacts: How AI is fuelling the counterfeit economy—and the solution; the growing role of influencers in accidental consumer scams; what brands and marketplaces must do to stay ahead of counterfeit tech; and generational and behavioural shifts in counterfeit consumption patterns.
• 50% of all counterfeit goods were purchased on U.S.-based marketplaces.
• 43% came from China-based marketplaces that ship to the U.S.
• 34% were bought from fake websites—many discovered via social media ads (39%) or profiles/posts (49%).
Conducted by the market research firm agency OnePoll and AI company Red Points, the study analysed behaviours from 2,000 U.S. consumers who knowingly or unknowingly purchased counterfeit goods in the past two years, along with insights from 1,000 brands.
The result is the most comprehensive portrait ever assembled of how, where, and why fake products are being bought and sold online—from global marketplaces and social media platforms to rogue websites and search engines.
The survey also shows how fraudulent websites are blasting, projected to increase 70 percent year-over-year in 2025. Gen X is leading the AI-powered shopping search trend, with 37 percent using AI to find knock-offs online.
These websites enjoys success since counterfeit goods are typically 31–38 percent less expensive compared to genuine items—far from the “too good to be true” prices many expect.
One of the most important findings is that 61 percent of counterfeit buyers didn’t know the product was fake until it arrived. These accidental buyers are often lured by convincing product photos (57 percent) or listings that mimic real brands (47 percent). Social media plays a pivotal role, with deceptive ads and influencer posts driving traffic directly to fraudulent sites.
