Citizens Advice has reported a surge in complaints from fashion consumers as a heightened use in AI increasingly enables scammers to target online shoppers.
According to the organisation’s consumer service, nearly 18,000 complaints logged last year were in regards to clothing, shoes and accessories purchases, up 21 percent compared to 2024.
A total of 82 percent of these complaints were related to online order purchases, the majority of which were carried out through trader websites and apps, including social media or resale apps. Around 14 percent of complaints were in regards to in-store purchases.
Faulty goods were cited as the top issue shoppers faced with purchases, making up 18 percent of all complaints. This was followed by delivery failure or delay, returning unwanted items, breach of contract, and poor customer service.
Furthermore, one in 13 complaints involved scams, typically in the form of poor quality items, requests for expensive fees when attempting to return these items, or being misled into believing that they were buying from a UK-based company.
In a statement, Jane Parsons, consumer expert at Citizens Advice, said: “Consumers face all kinds of problems from receiving faulty items, to waiting weeks for deliveries and poor customer service. Plus, the ever-increasing use of AI makes it easier for scammers to trick people into buying items that look nothing like the images advertised.”