PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group Berhad, which publishes The Star print products and online portal, refers to Facebook Pages which are running ads leading to a scam site misusing The Star’s brand identity.
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It has come to the group’s attention that fraudulent parties are running multiple misleading advertisements on social platforms.
The scam ads promote a fraudulent get-rich-quick investment scheme and make false claims regarding Malaysian singer Datuk Sheila Majid.
Clicking on the advertisement leads to a scam article, which misuses the byline of The Star senior writer Tarrence Tan, on a website impersonating The Star.
The fake article is headlined “Bank of Malaysia menyaman Sheila Majid atas kenyataannya dalam rancangan TV secara langsung” (Bank of Malaysia sues Sheila Majid for her statement on live TV show).
Taking to Instagram via her @missmajid and @sheilamajidofficial profiles, Sheila addressed the hoax article: “I have never been involved in any of these alleged investments (nor should any of you).”
She cautioned her followers to be careful and not join in the bogus scheme advertised by the fake article.
The group wishes to clarify that the aforementioned fake site is not affiliated with The Star’s official social media platforms or web presence in any way.
Dubious advertisements claiming to offer get-rich-quick schemes are certainly not run by The Star’s official social media platforms.
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Please do not interact with these scam social media pages or suspicious advertisements, or 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 thestar.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 https://www.thestar.com.my/.
Should you come across fake Facebook advertisements or suspicious Facebook pages 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 to fraudsters impersonating The Star’s online presence on its social media platforms, and help ensure a safer online environment for all.