PETALING JAYA: Not even The Star, which frequently highlights scam cases and victims, was spared from being targeted by scammers to trick victims.
There had been several instances of fraudsters creating fake news articles which contained The Star’s letterhead and logo.
However, such sites would use dubious website links and not the official URL.
Some of the more notable ones included fake articles about Malaysia’s renowned singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin.
The false write-up, which includes a made-up exchange between Siti Nurhaliza and a host named “Uthaya Raaga”, ends with the promotion of a fraudulent investment scheme that asks for a minimum deposit of RM1,100 to “start the programme”.
On Aug 17 last year, The Star issued a story on the matter following the spread of the fake site.
Another bogus article had promoted an illicit get-rich-quick investment scheme, with false claims regarding Sunway Group founder and chairman Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.
Dubious advertisements touting get-rich-quick schemes are certainly not run by The Star’s official social media platforms.
The public is urged not to interact with these scam social media pages or suspicious advertisements or join the programmes they promote.
The Star – named by Reuters as 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 media group, always check the web page address to confirm that the URL begins with https://www.thestar.com.my/.
