Food festivals across UK exploited in AI-powered scam, BBC finds

British food festivals are being used to target small food and craft businesses in a scam made possible by artificial intelligence (AI). A BBC Wales investigation found dozens of traders received professional-looking emails purporting to be from festivals with any requests for money only coming after multiple emails are exchanged. One trader whose heart sank when she discovered she had lost money, said that despite spotting scams regularly, the multiple emails she exchanged were so realistic that she fell for one. Abergavenny Food Festival said the accessibility of AI meant scammers could reach more people with scams that look far more believable. Harriet Thomas had applied for a stand at the Abergavenny Food Festival on previous years, and was really excited when an email came offering her the opportunity to book a place for her knitting workshops.