Beware fake Kepong property ad misusing The Star's masthead from seven years ago

PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group Bhd, which publishes The Star print products and online portal, refers to online ads misusing The Star’s brand identity.

It has come to the group’s attention that fraud parties are running multiple misleading advertisements on social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

The scam ads, which misuse The Star’s previous masthead from seven years ago on a fake frontpage image, promote properties in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur via the ‘Rumah wilayah persekutuan’ Facebook page.

The fraud ad, which touts the properties as ‘Open to Register Now’, urges people to sign up for ‘Kepong Most Hot Selling New Property.’

The fake frontpage displays pictures of properties in Prima Selayang, Metro Prima and MRR2.

According to the Meta ad library, the advertisement attempts to get personal data from interested parties, as it requires one’s full name, phone number and email address to get more information.

The group wishes to clarify that the aforementioned Facebook page is not affiliated with The Star’s official social media platforms or web presence in any way.

The Star’s official social media platforms do not run such dubious advertisements.

Please do not interact with these scam social media pages or suspicious advertisements, nor take up the ‘offers’ they promote.

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.