You may have seen something like this in your social media feed: a short video featuring a well-known Australian business figure, speaking confidently about an automated trading platform that is supposedly delivering strong returns. The branding looks professional, the website looks genuine, and the comments underneath seem positive.
But the person may never have made the video. The platform may not exist. And the promised returns may be nothing more than a way to draw people into a scam.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made convincing content much easier to create. Scammers can now produce deepfake endorsements, realistic-looking news articles, fake testimonials and professional investment websites at scale. That means the old warning signs — poor spelling, awkward wording and amateur design — are no longer enough to rely on.
A polished look is not the same as personal advice
The same technology that can create a fake video can also produce a fluent answer to a question such as, “Should I sell my bank shares?” That answer may be useful for explaining general ideas, but it does not know your full financial situation – your timeframe, tax position, superannuation, debts, insurance, existing investments, ability to take risk or family responsibilities. Importantly, it will not stop and say: this may not suit your circumstances.
That matters because an answer can sound certain and still be incomplete, outdated or wrong. Most general-purpose AI tools are not licensed to provide personal financial advice in Australia. If you rely on that output alone, there may be no qualified adviser accountable for the recommendation and no financial advice complaints process attached to it. You may lose all the money you “invest” in the scam
Investment scams are becoming harder to spot
The financial consequences can be very real. Australians reported $2.18 billion in scam losses in 2025, with investment scams the largest category at $837.7 million.
ASIC has warned that AI is “super-charging” online scam threats. In 2025, ASIC coordinated the removal of 11,964 phishing and investment scam websites – 90 per cent more than the previous 12-month period – as well as more than 1,100 scam advertisements from social media.
Do these three checks before you act
- Who is accountable if this turns out to be wrong? Check that the person or business is appropriately licensed or authorised. A polished video or website is not the same as professional accountability.
- Can you verify it independently? Do not rely only on links, phone numbers or registration details supplied in the advertisement. Search separately, check ASIC’s registers, and contact the person or organisation using details you have found yourself.
- Would the claim still make sense without the presentation? Take away the video, logo, testimonials and confident language, then look at the promise itself. Guaranteed, unusually high or “risk-free” returns are warning signs. So is pressure to; act quickly: keep the opportunity secret or: move the conversation to private messaging.
A professional-looking presentation should now be treated as a reason to check carefully – not as proof that an opportunity is genuine.