AI-powered scams are no longer just a nuisance. They’re quietly becoming a cost problem that everyday shoppers end up paying for.
A new survey from the Identity Theft Resource Center shows how small businesses are being affected by increasingly sophisticated cyber scams. Many of them are based on artificial intelligence, and the losses that companies incur are now passed on to customers in the form of higher prices.
Four in five small businesses said they had been affected by a cyber fraud or security breach in the past year, showing how widespread the problem has become. Of the breaches, 41% said AI was the primary cause of a recent attack.
It’s not just about the amount of scams, but also how credible they have become. AI tools help criminals create emails, invoices and messages that look and sound legitimate, often imitating real suppliers or trusted partners.
According to the TechXplore report, these scams are “more compelling than ever,” making it harder for small businesses to spot fraud before money is lost.
How AI scams harm small businesses and customers
Small businesses are particularly at risk because they often lack dedicated cybersecurity teams. If a fraud is successful, the financial damage can be serious. An expert quoted in the report said companies are facing losses that are “no longer rare or minor,” forcing owners to make difficult decisions to stay afloat.
These decisions often impact customers. To recover stolen funds, companies may increase prices, cut services, or charge additional fees. As the report notes, the costs of cybercrime are increasingly “being passed on to buyers who have no idea it’s happening.” Customers may never know that a slightly higher bill or late service is related to a fraud that occurred weeks earlier.
Scammers have already exploited the AI hype to trick thousands into downloading fake ChatGPT apps and paying for what is essentially a fake subscription. Later, OpenAI had to step in and crack down on scammers who were using its tools for fraud and other fraudulent activities.
The report also points out that AI has lowered the barrier for fraudsters. Commercially available cyberscam kits are now available at the price of Netflix, allowing even novice criminals to carry out large-scale fraud campaigns and target more companies at once.
For consumers, the impact is indirect but real. Even if you never fall for a scam yourself, you can still feel the effects at the checkout. As AI-driven fraud continues to grow, the hidden costs of cybercrime will become a part of everyday expenses, whether people are aware of it or not.
