AI fuels a social media marketing scam - Semafor

In July 2026, a wave of deceptive marketing campaigns surfaced on Instagram and TikTok, utilizing AI-generated content to exploit social media users. These scams feature fabricated videos designed to trigger emotional responses, ultimately directing viewers to purchase products from linked websites.

What happened

The operation involves accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers posting AI-generated videos that depict teens being bullied for attempting to sell Christian apparel. By stoking outrage, these accounts attempt to drive traffic to external websites selling the goods. The campaign utilizes AI synthesis to create these realistic but entirely fabricated scenarios, yet the videos lack the mandatory labels required by Meta and TikTok to disclose the use of artificial intelligence. It remains unclear who is behind these accounts or if the products advertised are legitimate, as many of the items appear on other online retail platforms. Following inquiries from Semafor, several of the involved accounts were removed from the platforms.