Beware fake Neelofa news on scam site impersonating The Star

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

It has come to the group’s attention that fraudulent Facebook pages called "Gallery Natural" and "Fretucojys", among others, are running multiple misleading advertisements on the Meta social platforms.

The scam ads on Facebook and Instagram share the same text of a false incident, claiming that "AWANI Pagi" host Rizal Zulkapli had a heated discussion with celebrity and entrepreneur Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor.

Clicking on the advertisement leads to a website impersonating The Star, with a fake article headlined "Neelofa is being sued by the Central Bank of Malaysia for comments she made on live broadcast".

The false writeup, which includes a made-up exchange between the two, ends with the promotion of a fraudulent investment scheme that asks for a minimum deposit of RM1,160 to "start the program".

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The group wishes to clarify that the aforementioned Facebook Pages or 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 Facebook page.

Please do not interact with these scam Facebook pages 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 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 of fraudsters impersonating The Star’s online presence on its social media platforms, and help ensure a safer online environment for all.