this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2026
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[–] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 96 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] Tim_Bisley@piefed.social 42 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Who knew AI would be useful for running scams......

[–] VieuxQueb@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 weeks ago

Are you saying that the thing that is only good at lying and creating fake images/videos is good at scamming ? I am shocked !

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago

LLMs are truthiness generators.

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[–] cmbabul@slrpnk.net 72 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I wish I didn’t have ethics more often than I am proud of, I could’ve been scamming people for years and made a very comfy life for myself

[–] CyberChicken@whatcom.social 78 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

Does cat face orchid bonsai sound like a scam to you?!?

[–] cmbabul@slrpnk.net 18 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Well I will make an exception for them as they look very polite

[–] diabetic_porcupine@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago

Kindly give me your credit card information

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[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It sounds like a fever nightmare.

[–] justaman123@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

They catch moths

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[–] 13igTyme@piefed.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

I think it depends who you target. For example "Freedom water" is great because it's just targeting MAGA dumbasses.

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[–] muhyb@programming.dev 38 points 3 weeks ago

I'm selling this sunflower seed. !!! Only 50 sun !!!

[–] TheBannedLemming@lemmy.world 19 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Those flowers are sending off some form of primitive flight or fight response in my brain. Their appearance is unnatural and unsettling.

[–] brsrklf@jlai.lu 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

To be fair some real flowers look very weird, but those fake ones look like muppets.

[–] rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Do you want Little Shop of Horrors? Because this is how you get Little Shop of Horrors!

[–] crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

If someone needs to use generative AI to market a product, then that product doesn't exist.

[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think the product actually existing is something scammers are typically concerned about

[–] crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 weeks ago

But it's a good rule of thumb for consumers. or at least for us to tell our parents.

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[–] Sabata11792@ani.social 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Back in my day you got ripped off buying seeds from scammers good at Photoshop.

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 24 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)
[–] Sabata11792@ani.social 4 points 3 weeks ago

A slightly different shade of a flower is not THAT unreasonable.

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[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 weeks ago

Yet another reason to plant seeds of species that are native to your region, and purchase them from reputable sources

[–] The_v@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

FYI the bottom right in the picture is a real sunflower call Sun Gold.

https://www.applewoodseed.com/product/sunflower-dwarf-sungold/

Of course only comes in yellow.

[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Don’t buy seeds on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, etc - they are so full of scammers that it is impossible to weed out the legitimate sellers from the fake. And if you get fake ones, you may get invasive species that are harmful to the environment around you.

Most places have some great local sellers. But if you’re buying online I would recommend dedicated places like Canada’s Vesey’s Seeds, West Coast Seeds, or the US’s Prairie Moon

[–] Sprinks@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Someone gifted me a bonsai kit off amazon that i cant use because every single seed packet is an invasive plant in my area. Unless the person who gifted it to me looked up every plant type, which is a big ask for them ability-wise, there was no way for them to have known from the product listing.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 weeks ago

If you don't let it propagate or put it in the ground, how is it being invasive hindering you from growing it as a bonsai.
It's literally potted and pruned and brought up as a house plant.

[–] Dvixen@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Used to buy succulent seeds online, and sadly there were a fair number of scammers selling seeds for what appeared to be gorgeous, but non-existent photoshopped succulents.

Scammers gotta scam, and AI makes it easy.

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

At some level of stupidity, I think we should let the scammer win.

like, that's just a stupid tax, they deserve to be scammed.

[–] BehindTheBarrier@programming.dev 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Honestly there's so many weird flowers out there it can be hard to tell truth from fiction. Yeah these are AI generated, but look at all the other flowers that are real:

  • Lambs ear
  • Sea holly
  • Teddy Bear sunflowers are real even
  • Protea "Little Prince"
  • Hoya Multiflora

Lots of very interesting flowers out there.

[–] Evil_Incarnate@sopuli.xyz 8 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

When your mother starts buying this shit and spending big $$$ on stupid scams, you'll want them stopped.

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Are you saying his mother is stupid?

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 weeks ago

She must be, based on some of the things I got her to do.

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[–] lebkuchen@feddit.org 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's not really stupidity. Just think about stuff that you may buy without having the expertise to really judge the quality or if it is even possible. You might think that people are stupid when they do not know every plant. But do you know every tool, every tech gadget, every type of clothing and so on?

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[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah, caveat emptor has always worked so well in the past. Let's not regulate anything.

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[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 8 points 3 weeks ago

Even before AI, this was a scam. Photoshopped pics. Fake seeds for legit plants, like wasabi, that are harder to find. And so on.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

These free-for-all marketplaces are just going to suffocate under a barrage of scams. Ebay is already the world's biggest stolen good fence.

[–] Brewchin@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

"Ah, yes... a 2m tall flower would look great next to my Day of the Triffids merch! Oh, and a starz-n-stripes container plant would be ideal for my shouty, flag-waving neighbour... Take my money!"

We are so doomed as a society.

[–] Kellenved@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago

Dr Seuss ahh flowers

[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Also accurate, if cold, shadenfreude title:
A fool and their money are soon parted

[–] Trail@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I prefer gparted over parted.

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