A consumer, Kang Dayoung (pseudonym), downloaded the 'Gemmy AI' application this past August,
mistaking it for Google's official Gemini, and paid an annual subscription fee of 39,000 won.
However, after actually using it, she found that the Korean language recognition rate was low and the AI often gave irrelevant answers.
On the day of payment, Kang realized it was not Gemini and requested a refund.
She received an email stating that a refund was not possible.
"Thought it was ChatGPT, but it was fake?" Warning as damages from lookalike generative AI sites spread
These days, it is hard to find anyone who hasn't tried generative artificial intelligence (AI) services like ChatGPT.
However, consumer damages caused by lookalike or impersonation sites targeting this popularity are rapidly increasing, so caution is needed.
According to the Korea Consumer Agency,
there have already been 37 reported cases of related damages this year alone, received through the International Transaction Consumer Portal and the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center.
"Just searched for it..." The problem was the ad link
Looking at 23 cases where the access route was identified, 91% (21 cases) had something in common.
After searching for generative AI services like 'ChatGPT', 'Gemini', or 'Claude'
on portal sites such as Google,
they clicked on the advertisement links displayed at the top of the search results.
The problem was that these ad links led not to official sites, but to lookalike sites.
These sites were so sophisticated that it was nearly impossible to distinguish them from the real ones at first glance.
From logo to layout... Virtually identical to the official sites
Most of these lookalike sites were operated overseas,
and they cleverly imitated the names and logos of well-known generative AI services.
What stood out was that they copied not only the logos, menu layouts, and chat UI,
but even used official model names like 'GPT-4'.
As a result, many users mistook them for official services and proceeded with paid subscriptions without suspicion.
After paying, the answers were off the mark... and refunds were even harder
However, upon actual use, the answer quality was significantly lower than the official services,
and in many cases, the AI gave completely irrelevant responses.
The next problem was even more serious.
When users requested refunds, many received no response to their emails at all,
and the refund policies themselves were extremely unfavorable to consumers.
For example,
"Refunds are only possible within 7 days" or "Refunds are possible only if fewer than 20 messages have been sent,"
making it virtually impossible to get a refund.
Three usage guidelines recommended by the Korea Consumer Agency
To prevent further damage, the Korea Consumer Agency emphasized the following points:
? Before using an AI service, always check the official website address and the developer's name.
? Be aware that 'ad links' at the top of search results may not be the official site.
? When using overseas sites, use a credit card that allows chargeback requests.
What is the 'chargeback service'?
A chargeback is a system that allows you to request a cancellation of a credit card payment within a certain period.
For VISA, MasterCard, and AMEX, you can apply within 120 days of the payment date, and for Union Pay, within 180 days.
Since the application period and method differ by card company,
it is important to contact your card company immediately if you experience any issues.
Now that generative AI has become part of daily life,
assuming that "top of search results = official site" can be risky.
Even if it's a bit inconvenient, always double-check the address,
and make sure to check for ad labels. It's best to keep these habits in mind.
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Reporter Kim Bokyung bkly477@asiae.co.kr
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Edit Kong Sumin hyunhj@asiae.co.kr
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