Shoppers are falling victim to sophisticated scams where fake websites, recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT, mimic legitimate retailers. The scam-checking service Ask Silver has identified cloned sites impersonating Russell & Bromley and Dunelm, appearing in ChatGPT search results.
Anna Jones of Ask Silver explained that scammers exploit the confusion following Russell & Bromley's administration in January 2026 and its absorption by Next. With no standalone official website, customers searching for the brand may encounter fraudulent sites that look convincing.
Louise Baxter, head of the scams team at National Trading Standards, warned consumers not to trust a website simply because an AI tool recommends it. “Criminals are adapting quickly, and the appearance of scam sites in AI-generated results is a stark reminder that fraudsters exploit new technology,” she said.
The cloned sites often feature addresses like therussellbromleyofficial or russellandbromleylondon, and offer huge discounts of up to 80%. Payment is usually requested via bank transfer, a major red flag. Ask Silver advises shoppers to check for legitimate UK domains (.co.uk or .com) and avoid sites with extra words like “official” or “deals”.
Next, which now owns Russell & Bromley, confirmed it is working to shut down the fraudulent sites. A spokesperson for ChatGPT said the fake websites have been removed from its search index, and users can report violations through a dedicated form. Dunelm urged customers to use only its official website or app.
