The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced on its ScamWatch service website that criminals are impersonating real businesses and offering fake Investment Bonds to retail investors. They claim these bonds offer high returns and are protected by the government.
The ACCC said that the scammers will encourage you to register your name, mobile number and email on a fake website. They then steal money by getting people to buy fake Investment Bonds. They will also use your personal details to commit other scams.
The National Anti-Scam Centre works with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) to remove investment scam websites, which led to thousands of websites being taken down in 2024.
How to spot the scam
This scam can be hard to spot because criminals set up fake emails where they pretend to be legitimate brokers. They also have a fake website which looks like the real business’s website. The fake website has the business’s branding and uses links that go to the real website.
The fake website comes up in internet searches for investment opportunities.
Recently criminals were impersonating Bunnings, a leading hardware and garden centre store chain, in one of these types of scams. Scammers offered environmental bonds that support carbon reduction, sustainability and waste reduction. They offered three investment options ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 and promised higher than market returns of up to 9%. They said that the investments are supported by Bunnings and protected by government finance regulations.
ASIC has taken down the fake Bunnings websites.
What you should know
There are steps you can take to help avoid investment scams:
- Don’t trust surprise offers to invest.
- Don’t take investment advice from people you have met on social media.
- Check the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) website to confirm if the person offering the investment is licenced.
- Check the Moneysmart investor alert list for companies and websites you should not trust.
- Check if the business details match the company’s real website.
