In the digital realm, the Italian edition of L’Espresso detailed a growing scam phenomenon on the popular secondhand marketplace Vinted. Fraudsters are using artificial intelligence to manipulate photos of purchased items, making them appear damaged in order to claim false refunds from the platform.
The report frames this as just the beginning of a much broader challenge: as the line between authentic and AI-manipulated content grows ever thinner, platforms and regulators face an escalating arms race against deepfakes and synthetic media — from petty marketplace fraud to industrial-scale disinformation.
