10 Scams Related to AI-Powered Copywriting

The fast pace of tech development has opened up a lot of chances for scammers to take advantage of unsuspecting people.

Using AI writing tools, these con artists can whip up super convincing messages that look just like the real deal. This makes it easy for them to trick individuals into giving away personal info, sending money, or falling for various scams.

Plus, since these AI-generated messages are often so polished, it’s tough for people to tell if they’re legit or not. Which just raises the chances of losing money or personal information.

How Fraudsters Are Exploiting AI Copywriting Trends

Here are some of the most common scams and shady schemes you might encounter in the world of AI-powered copywriting:

“Unlimited Generation” Subscription Traps
Some providers promote “unlimited” AI outputs for a low monthly fee. But then they limit your usage, stash important features behind “premium” plans, or trap you in long-term deals with high auto-renew rates.

Fake “Proprietary” Models
Agencies are saying they’ve created their own secret AI that does better copywriting than anything else out there. But in reality, they’re just slapping a new label on public LLMs like GPT-4 and tweaking them a bit.

Pay-Per-Word AI Services
Sellers are asking crazy prices for their “AI-enhanced” writing, even though most of the work is actually done by free or cheap models with just a little human input. Yet, they still act like you need their pricey “processing.”

Black-Hat SEO Copymills
“Content farms” are those places that pump out tons of AI-generated articles filled with low-quality, recycled keywords. In the end, you’re left with thin content that hurts your SEO, and you might even get penalized by search engines.

Ghostwriting “Done-For-You” Packages
Marketers often hype up their AI-generated copy (like blogs, emails, and white papers) without being open about using basic, untested AI prompts. This can lead to content that’s off-brand, inaccurate, or even copied from somewhere else, and you end up not really owning the prompts or the whole process.

“Guaranteed Human-Quality” Claims
Vendors claiming their AI “never makes stuff up” or “writes exactly like a human” without needing any tweaks are likely to end up with factual mistakes, weird wording, and a ton of editing headaches later on.

Data Privacy & IP Misuse
Some tools grab the stuff you upload to train their models without letting you know, which can put your sensitive info at risk. Then they turn around and sell you back “insights” made from that data at a high price.

Upselling “AI Detection” Services
Once you buy their AI-written stuff, they pressure you into getting extra “undetectable” tweaks or AI-detection tests. Claiming their special process is the only way to dodge plagiarism checkers and avoid getting flagged by AI.

Pay-Per-Lead “AI Outreach” Schemes
Agencies are packing AI-powered cold-email sequences with lists of “verified leads.” But what they really deliver are old, gathered contacts that either bounce back or get stuck in spam folders. And they still charge for each “lead,” no matter how good or bad the quality is.

Misrepresented Case Studies & Metrics
A lot of providers brag about huge returns on investment, claiming things like “500% increase in conversions!” or sharing glowing reviews from clients, but without any solid proof or references to back it up. This makes it tough to tell what’s genuine success and what’s just clever marketing hype.

How to Protect Yourself

• Demand Transparency: Insist on clear terms about usage caps, data handling, and what “proprietary” really means.
• Start Small: Pilot a single AI use-case (like subject-line generation) before committing to large retainer fees.
• Verify Ownership: Ensure you retain all rights to prompts, drafts, and final content.
• Audit Outputs: Routinely check for factual accuracy, tone alignment, and originality with plagiarism/AI-detection tools.
• Blend Human & Machine: Use AI for ideation and first drafts, but always layer in human strategy, editing, and brand voice.

Just follow these quick tips to keep yourself safe from scams related to AI-powered copywriting.