Fake celebrity investment ads: ASIC's warning and your next checks
Checked by The Proofmark editorial team against our methodology before publishing
The Proofmark · Our methodology
A familiar face appears in an investment advert. You search the name. You find reviews and news stories that agree with it.
That may feel like a check. But the pages can be part of the same trap.
What does ASIC's 2026 warning say?
ASIC is Australia's financial watchdog. It warns of linked fake ads, news pages and reviews. AI-made videos can make a known face seem to back an investment.
Its 2026 release says more than 19,400 online scams were removed in FY26, up 182% from FY25. The count includes websites, social media ads and phishing scams. It is not a count of deepfake videos alone.
The release lists public figures whose faces were misused. It links A$7.4 million in losses to those scams, from Scamwatch reports. That is not a loss from one video of the Prime Minister.
These figures are for Australia. They do not count all losses worldwide. They do not show your chance of getting money back.
Why can a web search give false comfort?
ASIC describes a route from an advert to fake news, then phone calls and a trading site. Small payouts may be used to gain trust. Copied licence details can add to the illusion.
Several pages repeating a claim do not prove they checked it. Look at who made each page and what evidence it links to.
Our deepfake explainer covers how a face or voice can be copied. This article focuses on checking the offer around the video.
How do I check a celebrity investment advert?
Save the full web address. A brand name alone is not enough. Keep the advert and the page it sent you to for your own records.
Find the original statement. Go to the person's own channels or the real news outlet. Do not use only the links supplied by the advert. If you cannot find the statement, that is a reason to check further.
Check the firm as well as the face. Even a genuine endorsement cannot prove an investment is safe. Ask for the legal firm's name and the service it offers.
Match the contact details. A real licence number can be copied. Use a contact from an official register to ask whether the offer belongs to that firm. See our clone firm guide.
For Australia, use ASIC's professional registers and Moneysmart's investor alert list. For other countries, start with our broker-checking guide.
An empty warning-list result is not a clean bill of health. We explain this in what regulation does and does not cover.
Does a small payout prove the platform is real?
No. Do not send money to test the site. A small payout does not prove that the displayed trades took place or that you can withdraw the rest.
See our AI trading bot checks. A chart and a rising balance are not enough.
What if I already gave them my number or paid?
Do not let a follow-up call rush you. Keep the messages and the exact site address. Do not grant remote access or give out passwords.
Think you paid a scam? Call your bank or payment firm now. Use our first steps after a scam to plan what to do next.
Request a free call if you want help reading the offer or planning your next step. You can tell us the company name and what was promised. We do not need your bank login and cannot promise to recover money.
Which named cases can I read next?
Our Quantum AI report links warnings about named domains. Our British Bitcoin Profit report examines claimed celebrity backing.
Those are separate reports. The ASIC figures above do not establish that either named case caused those losses.
Sources
Where to go in your country
Scams cross borders. The people who can do something about them do not. Choose your country below, or change it if our guess is wrong.
Choose your country to see local contacts. If it is not listed, you can ask our team for help.
🇬🇧 The United Kingdom
🔎 Check the firm
FCA Firm Checker — Search the firm name, its website, or the reference number it gave you.
🚨 Report it
Report Fraud (City of London Police) — Report online or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
↩ Ask for your money back
Financial Ombudsman Service — Complain to the firm first, then bring it here. Free, and it can order the firm to pay.
Every address above was opened and checked by us on 30 September 2026. Tell us if one has moved.
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