On April 12, one of Casey Ho’s followers sent her a message about a fake listing for her fitness products on Amazon, and what she got left her in disbelief.
Imagine a video of yourself appearing in an Amazon listing at home – altered so your face looks like someone else’s.
That’s the case for Casey Ho, founder and CEO of activewear company PopFlex and fitness brand Blogilates. She has 2.8 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million followers on TikTok and recently introduced Taylor Swift. I’m wearing Ho’s patented Popflex pirouette skirt.
“I would almost say so [have] “There were hundreds of fraudulent listings for my products on Amazon,” he told Fox News Digital.
On April 12, a follower messaged him and reported one of these fraudulent listings on Amazon, and Ho’s team immediately launched an investigation.
Employees use AI at work, but keep it secret for a reason
Casey Ho, founder of Blogilates and PopFlex, said an Amazon listing used her video to simulate her skirt, but possibly altered it using artificial intelligence to make her face look different. (Blog / TikTok / Fox News)
“Then I clicked on it and scrolled through photos of stolen models… and then I saw a preview of my video and clicked on it. And the moment I saw my body differently, it was really painful. It was all wrong… I felt ‘Black Mirror’.”
In the Amazon listing, which has since been removed, an imitation Ho’s pirouette skirt was offered at a cheaper price than the original Popflex skirt. However, fake Amazon listings contain images and videos of the product. Photos and videos were possibly altered by artificial intelligence.
| the band | Schutz | the end | It is variable | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Amazon.com Inc | 187,48 | -2.02 | -1,07% |
“Amazon strictly prohibits counterfeit products and products that infringe intellectual property rights from our stores,” an Amazon spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We have proactive measures in place to prevent counterfeit or infringing products from being listed. Once a seller lists a product for sale, our advanced technology continuously scans for counterfeit, fraudulent products and potential abuse.If we detect any issues, we act quickly to protect customers and brands, including removal and suspension. account
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
Casey Ho, founder of Blogilates and PopFlex, said an Amazon listing used her video to simulate her skirt, but possibly altered it using artificial intelligence to make her face look different. (Cassie Hu/Bluegillettes/Fox News)
He suspects the fake seller did this to avoid detection on Begouging Amazon.
“Basically, they rubbed me the wrong way. So they took out my face and put another face in,” Ho said of the video appearing on Amazon’s fake listing. “And I think these people make it so that it’s hard to detect copyright infringement by an AI bot… because to the human eye. These two videos are different, but to the robot’s eyes it will look different if the face is different. “”Different and that’s why they do these things.”
“You reflect the deepfake to me.”
Sellers “photoshop” the models into their photos, altering their appearance slightly to avoid detection, Ho said, adding that every time he wants to remove a fake item from Amazon, he has to fill out a form and then wait for a response from the tech giant. An old process where a small team fights one or more fraudulent offers every day.
Survey: Teachers suffering from burnout see artificial intelligence as a relief tool
Casey Ho is the founder and CEO of PopFlex and Blogilates. He is also the lead designer of PopFlex. (Casey Hu/Blogs/Fox News)
“There every day [are] Some of them are new. …we don’t look for them anymore because we all find hundreds [of dupes]. And I’m not just talking about Amazon. Everything is online. It’s everywhere. …at least Amazon is an American platform. However, there are very few controls… making it harder for the victim of the crime to remove the photo than for these scammers to steal my photo and upload it, so all the work falls on the victim.”
“All work is imposed on the victim.”
Amazon says it offers affordable alternatives to high-end products but doesn’t infringe on a particular brand’s intellectual property, which was the case in Ho’s latest trial. The tech giant said its automated technology scans billions of attempted changes to product detail pages every day for signs of potential abuse, such as keywords, text and logos that are identical or similar to registered trademarks or copyrighted material.
Amazon offers a “brand registration service” for brand owners to better manage their brand on Amazon and protect intellectual property rights, the company said.
Much of Ho’s social media content focuses on how he brings his designs to life from start to finish (Cassie Hoe/Bluegillettes)
The process of tracking down counterfeit versions of its PopFlex products “takes a lot of mental and emotional energy.” Chinese fast fashion company According to Business Insider, which recently listed a cheap imitation of the Pirouette Scort, it is worth $100 billion.
To add to the chaos, Ho said scammers have made the shopping process “confusing” for customers who like their products. While most of her followers help highlight and report fraudulent listings, some own cheaper versions of her designs and openly admit in the comments section that they can’t afford her products and would rather buy fakes.
Amazon’s CEO promotes artificial intelligence in a letter to shareholders
The Pirouette Skort retails for $60 on the Popflex website, a competitive price compared to other popular fitness brands. LuluLemon sells a similar pleated workout skirt for $88. Athleta sells a basic workout skirt for around $50.
“It’s a really weird mentality that shows how disrespectful people are to them Artists and creative peopleBecause in the end, if there is no original artist and creator, who is the deceiver? “You can’t even find the skirt you think you can buy,” Ho said.
Much of Ho’s social media content focuses on how he brings his designs to life from start to finish He shows his followers how a pencil drawing can become a realistic product and takes user feedback seriously. For example, when Ho introduces a new PopFlex product and receives feedback from followers that it needs pockets or a different waistline, he often releases a new version of his product that meets his customers’ requests.
Get Fox Business on the go by clicking here
He believes Amazon needs to change some of its policies to make it easier for independent designers to fight counterfeiting and harder for sellers to offer counterfeit items. He said he tried contacting the tech giant’s counterfeit money crime unit to no avail.
“I feel really hopeless,” Ho said.
