Fake website using Chris Hemsworth’s image shut down
A scam using the image of Aussie star Chris Hemsworth is among the wave of websites being shut down. See tips to avoid becoming a victim.
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A scam using the image of actor Chris Hemsworth is among the 20 fake websites being shut down each day.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has moved 3500 removed in just six months.
The wave of shutdowns between July and December was part of a new scheme from the corporate watchdog to remove scam websites before they could dupe vulnerable victims.
ASIC Chair Joe Longo said the cost of living crunch meant some people were looking to increase their cash flow, making them more susceptible to scams.
“Scammers are only too happy to try and take advantage,” he said.
“That’s why ASIC is stopping investment scams at the source of their promotion, removing them from the internet before they can lure in unsuspecting consumers.”
Scammers have also been using images and videos of billionaire mining boss Andrew Forrest, and the world’s richest man Elon Musk to steal Australians’ savings.
Mr Forrest has taken Facebook to court over some of the scam posts using his image.
Some of the scams are being presented as news articles on prominent ABC, Channel 7, 60 Minutes and Channel 10 websites.
The scams have also attempted to circulate content that look like it has come from news.com.au and Sky News Australia.
Images of Seven presenter Michael Usher and The Project host Waleed Aly have also been caught up in the fake websites.
This masthead is not suggesting they have done anything wrong, only that their images have been used.
Some of the scams claim to have testimonials from people that have made thousands in weeks.
“I’ve hit over $9200 in profit after just a month,” one fake testimonial read.
Another said: “It’s so damn easy to use, even for me! I’ve never traded before but I’m making $3000+ a week.”
Some of the scam websites use the same words but put in different photographs.
Many of the rip offs claim to be making investments in Artificial Intelligence software – a new but confusing market.
ASIC warned consumers against signing up to anything that sounded too good to be true.
Australians have lost $1.5 billion to scams since 2022, with new sophisticated scams raking in thousands of victims.
The most common scams include fake investment schemes, sites that bank details and deep fake videos of high profile Australians.
ASIC has been putting the heat on banks to crack down on scams to protect customers.
“We’ve already examined the way major banks detect, prevent and respond to
scams, resulting in ASIC setting expectations that all financial institutions take steps to
improve their approaches,” Mr Long said.
“We have now turned our attention to a broader range of banks and superannuation trustees to ensure they’re doing all they can to protect their members and customers from predatory scammers.”
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