Australia's securities regulator has warned that scammers are creating fake versions of its Moneysmart website to trick people into handing over personal details and money for bogus investment schemes.

Fake Moneysmart Sites Target Australian Investors

The fake sites copy the look and feel of the legitimate Moneysmart.gov.au but use different web addresses. They're designed to harvest names and email addresses from people interested in learning about investing, according to an alert issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC ASIC The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the prime regulator in Australia for corporate, markets, financial services, and consumer credit. It is empowered under the financial service laws to facilitate, regulate, and enforce Australian financial laws. The Australian Commission was set up and is administered under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act of 2001. ASIC was initially the Australian Securities Commission based on the 1989 ASC Act. Initially, the The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the prime regulator in Australia for corporate, markets, financial services, and consumer credit. It is empowered under the financial service laws to facilitate, regulate, and enforce Australian financial laws. The Australian Commission was set up and is administered under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act of 2001. ASIC was initially the Australian Securities Commission based on the 1989 ASC Act. Initially, the Read this Term) today (Thursday).

The fraudulent pages contain language meant to create pressure on potential victims. They reference economic troubles, warn about “missing out” on opportunities, and urge people to act “today.” Many promise returns of thousands of dollars from initial deposits as small as $300 or $400.

• ASIC Cancels Licence of This Offshore CFDs Broker Due to Inactivity
• ASIC Traps Investment Boss in Australia as $8M Bond Scam Unravels

“The legitimate Moneysmart website will never ask consumers to provide personal information with a view to promoting investment options, or contact consumers to propose or offer investment options,” ASIC said in its alert.

The regulator emphasized that Moneysmart will never ask people to pay money to enter an investment.

Regulators Ramp Up Takedown Efforts

ASIC has been expanding its fight against online fraud. The agency removed 6,900 investment scam and phishing Phishing Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data. The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than techno Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data. The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than techno Read this Term websites in the year ended June 30, according to its annual report. In August, the regulator announced it was expanding its takedown capabilities to include fraudulent social media advertisements.

Since launching its website takedown program two years ago, ASIC has knocked out more than 14,000 malicious sites and continues removing an average of 130 each week.

The agency has also observed an uptick in celebrity impersonation schemes. More than 330 investment scam websites using images of well-known Australians were shut down in the first half of 2025, representing a 25% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Some scammers have also been making false claims about government investment schemes, ASIC noted.

What Consumers Should Do

ASIC advises people to verify they're visiting the correct domain, moneysmart.gov.au, before entering any personal information. The “.gov.au” suffix indicates an Australian government website.

Anyone who receives investment advice from someone claiming to represent ASIC or Moneysmart should hang up, report the contact, and block the number.

People who believe they've been scammed should immediately stop sending money, block contact with the scammer, and alert their bank or financial institution. They should also report the incident to Scamwatch, a government-run service that tracks fraud.

Investment scams remain the biggest source of financial loss from fraud in Australia. Australians lost $945 million to investment scams in 2024, making it the leading category of scam-related losses, according to the National Anti-Scam Centre.