August 4, 2026

While more than half of consumers, 65%, claim they can identify fake websites, 72% mistake slow website performance for an AI scam, according to a Pantheon survey that was conducted online and polled 1,000 consumers.

As scammers actively poison AI search engines to recommend cloned websites, consumers have hit a breaking point of hyper-skepticism.

Nearly three in four respondents misidentified a legitimate site as an AI-driven scam simply because it was slow or glitchy, according to the survey data.

Most consumers, 92%, agree the rise of AI-generated content is making it significantly harder to determine if a website is legitimate, with 86% stating they are far more skeptical of online brands today than they were just two years ago.

Consumers admitted they have completely mistaken legitimate websites for scams due to standard oversights, including the inability to find a working "Contact Us" page, a design that feels outdated or unprofessional and content not being up-to-date.

A big majority, 88%, feel companies should do more to prove their authenticity online.

"As cyber criminals infiltrate the AI search ecosystem with lookalike sites, trust has become a business-critical priority," Josh Koenig, co-founder and SVP of marketing, Pantheon, said in the release. "Consumers are operating with their guard up. If your website lags, contains broken pages, or serves stale content, people increasingly assume you're an AI scam instead of just having technical issues. In the AI era, a reliable web platform is mission-critical for brand protection."

The online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults (aged 18+) was commissioned by Pantheon and fielded by market research firm Dynata in June 2026.