ob体育

ob体育 is warning consumers about the misuse of ob体育鈥檚 logo on social media to promote fake investments and stock market trading courses and cold calling, and Telegram impersonations.

ob体育 has received a number of reports about ads for a 鈥楽tock Trading Master Class鈥�. The ads have been seen on social media platforms, display the ob体育 logo and claim to be sponsored by ob体育.

When consumers click on the ad, they are taken to a private Whatsapp group called Lonton Wealth Management Center. ob体育 listed this entity on the on 21 May 2024.

These social media advertisements are misleading consumers by:

• Displaying the ob体育 logo. ob体育 is not associated with this provider.
• Falsely claiming that the stock trading master class is sponsored/endorsed by ob体育. This is not true.

ob体育 is also aware of repeated cold calls from persons claiming to be from ob体育 attempting to engage with consumers in obtaining a refund on an investment. This is a concern as ob体育 does not cold call consumers about investments or refunds on investments.

In addition, ob体育 has also become aware of an impersonation account on Telegram, pretending to be an ob体育 social media account. The operators of this account are asking investors for money to release their investment funds held in Australia.

This is concerning because:

• ob体育 does not maintain a Telegram account.
• ob体育 will never ask for money as upfront taxes or payments to release investments held in Australia.
• Entities that engage with consumers through private social media groups may be attempting to conceal their true identity.

How to tell a social media ad is not associated or endorsed by ob体育

A social media ad is not associated with ob体育 if it:

• is using the ob体育 logo to promote investing or financial products and services. ob体育 will never endorse a product or training course.
• claims to have a relationship with ob体育 鈥� they may say they are 鈥榮upported鈥� or 鈥榮ponsored鈥� by ob体育.
• claims to be from ob体育 but refers to a third-party.
• directs to a social media account with the ob体育 logo, but the account has likely been recently created as it doesn鈥檛 have a history of posts and is not using ob体育鈥檚 social media handles.

ob体育鈥檚 only official social media accounts:

• Facebook -
• X/Twitter - , and
• Instagram -
• LinkedIn -

Example of fake social media advertisement

What to do if you see this scam

STOP: If you see these fake ads, do not click on them. Scroll past, delete, or refresh your browser.

THINK: Check ob体育鈥檚 official social media accounts for any warnings. Check the social handles to make sure you鈥檙e viewing ob体育鈥檚 legitimate social media accounts listed above.

PROTECT: If there is an option to do so, report the ads directly to the social media platform, and also report the scam to . ob体育 is working with the National Anti-Scam Centre and social media platforms to get harmful content removed.

Think you have been scammed?

If you think you鈥檝e been scammed, take these steps fast:

1. Do not send any more money. Block all contact from the scammer.
2. Report it to your financial institution. If you are not happy with your financial institution鈥檚 response, you can make a complaint to the .
3. Contact , a free government-funded service, which can help to develop a specific response plan if your identity has been compromised. IDCARE will never contact you out of the blue.
4. Be wary of follow-up scams promising to help get your money back.
5. Report it to to help stop the scammer.
6. Report the social media account to the social media platform, if there is an option to do so.
7. Warn your family and friends about the scam.

Go to for more detailed steps.

Further support

If you need to talk to someone, contact:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours) or their crisis support or
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 (24 hours) or their

If you are experiencing problems with debt, contact:

• the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm) or

Related links

ob体育 is Australia鈥檚 corporate, markets and financial services regulator.