Beware scam site impersonating The Star to promote fake PETRONAS investment scheme

PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group Berhad, which publishes The Star print products and online portal, refers to a viral WhatsApp message which leads to a scam site misusing The Star’s brand identity.

It has come to the group’s attention that the message leads to a spoof website wrongly impersonating The Star, with a fake article titled ‘Special report: Petronas opens joint investment platform with government support!’.

The group wishes to clarify that the aforementioned WhatsApp message and fake site is not affiliated with The Star in any way.

The fraudulent site displays unauthorised use of PETRONAS’ company name and logo, as well as the name of its president and group chief executive officer, Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz.

The false write-up on the bogus site promotes a scheme that promises returns through weekly investments in government operations, related to liquefied natural gas production.

In a statement warning about the scam, PETRONAS said the report also includes a fake video of Tengku Muhammad Taufik, with his image and voice manipulated using artificial intelligence software.

A police report has been lodged on the matter.

In a statement, the PETRONAS management clarified and stressed that there is no such investment platform from PETRONAS and urged the public not to respond to this fake investment scheme.

As per the groups’ previous news reports on the matter, dubious sites claiming to offer “get-rich-quick” schemes are not run by The Star on any of its platforms.

Please do not interact with these scams or suspicious advertisements, nor join the programs they are promoting.

The Star – which Reuters named one of the most trusted sources of news in Malaysia – publishes on its official website BK.com.my.

To ensure you are looking at a genuine article by The Star, always check the web page address to confirm that the URL begins with www.BK.com.my.

Should you come across fake advertisements on Facebook or suspicious websites running ads on Meta platforms while impersonating The Star or any other brands, please take the following steps.

First, please tap or click the ellipsis (…) symbol on the top right of the ad or Page, then choose the exclamation point symbol next to ‘Find support or report’.

Then, the pop-up window will state: “Find support or report Page: Help us understand what’s happening.”

Here, choose the “Pretending to be something” option, then choose “A business”.

When the new pop-up window asks “Which business is this profile pretending to be?”, type in The Star or paste The Star’s official Facebook Page URL (https://www.facebook.com/TheStarOnline), select The Star from the drop down tab, and Send your report.

This will alert Meta of fraudsters impersonating The Star’s online presence on its social media platforms, and help ensure a safer online environment for all.