Fraud and how it has increasingly plagued society

 Erin Ashley

ea350918@ohio.edu

The main ethical concept that is emphasized in nearly all codes of ethics is truth. However, truth also seems to be painfully neglected when it comes to advertising, as there are few consequences for those who commit fraud.

Society has transformed to incorporate technology, such as social media, into everyday life. Since the amount of social media users has spiked exponentially over recent years, companies and people have taken the opportunity to spread fraudulent information in order to bring about the desired outcome.

The benefits of fraud have seemingly outweighed the hindrances because there are few repercussions to committing fraud and it is so easy to do. A video created by the Youtube channel Communicate highlights how invalid traffic is easily generated and made to look like real humans have purchased and enjoyed a product, even though those reviews are completely false.

It has become increasingly easy for companies to trick consumers into purchasing their products. One example has been the unspoken use of artificial intelligence to alter what consumers see on their screen so that they are more likely to click "purchase".

Artificial intelligence records search engine history, how long a consumer looks at a product, or how many items a consumer searches, and then, it frontloads fake products that the consumer might find appealing. Not only does this provide money and publicity to a fraudulent company, but it also enhances the likelihood that the fake products will end up on another person's social media page.

Image Courtesy of Penji

Another tactic that companies use when committing fraud is targeting people's insecurities, which is shown in the above image from Penji. The false advertisement that any product could magically erase wrinkles or absorb fat from one's body is enough for someone to cling to that false reality and impulsively purchase the fraudulent product.

According to an Ad Age article written by Alex Kantrowitz, there have been efforts made to eliminate or reduce fraud in advertisements. However, these fraud-reducing methods often are expensive, which deters people from utilizing the services.

One could simply ponder why people don't pursue action if they have found themselves in this context when in reality, it isn't as simple as one would hope. Often times returning the product is near impossible because of fake websites or pursuing legal action is more trouble than its worth.

While not much has been done to further reduce fraud, it is important to note how fraud affects trust in the eyes of consumers. It only takes one fraudulent product for a consumer to become skeptical of the entire industry.

As journalists, it is imperative to hold ourselves to the highest standard of accuracy and truth in order to preserve and nurture the trust of the general public.