Urgent warning to eBay shoppers: Scammers are trying to trick people into ... trends now
As AI-generated images get more and more realistic, it can be harder to tell the fake from the genuine.
Unfortunately, it seems many online shoppers have been duped by the latest AI scam – fake 'cat's eye dazzle' seeds from China advertised on eBay.
AI-generated photos in the product listings pretend the seeds bloom into beautiful flowers resembling cute cats - but in fact no such plant exists.
The seeds, described as 'rare', 'organic' and 'non-GMO', have been flogged for more than $45 (£35) per packet.
Fact-checking website Snopes has found the fake imagery circulating all over social media sites, including Facebook, Reddit and X.
People are buying fake 'cat's eye dazzle' seeds from China on eBay. AI-generated photos in the product listing suggest the seeds bloom into beautiful flowers that resemble cute cats - but no such plant exists
'No returns accepted': It's unclear how many people have been duped or what exactly they received in the post after completing their purchase
The site – which was contacted by a wary web user about the 'seeds' – has confirmed the flowers as 'fake' and said no such plant exists.
It scanned the images with AI-detection tools on aiornot.com and isitai.com to reveal they were created by AI, while Adobe Photoshop 'may also have been used to tweak the pictures'.
What's more, no legitimate records of any flowers or plants with the name 'cat's eye dazzle' existed before this year, Google data shows.
The imaginary plant is also not named Cryptanthus bivittatus, as a LinkedIn user and others claimed, which is actually a name taken from a real species that looks nothing like a cat.
According to Snopes, the photos were posted by Facebook user StorieSpot to a group called National Geographic Wild Planet.
The Facebook group has more than 1.4 million members, but despite its name, it is not affiliated with National Geographic, the US nature channel.
StorieSpot's post got more than 80,000 likes and tens of thousands of shares on Facebook – and many users seemed interested in buying a packet.
One commented 'love to have these seeds', while another simply said 'I WANT SOME SEED'.
Snopes found 'hundreds' of completed or sold listings for the 'seeds' on eBay with prices even pushing past $45 (£35).
It's unclear how many people have been duped or what exactly they received in the post after completing their
