Deepfakes of Canada’s prime minister being used to sell phoney investments: FCAA

A recent online fraud scheme circulating on social media has prompted a warning from Saskatchewan’s consumer affairs watchdog.

In an alert sent on Wednesday, the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) said ads for an online investment platform called AllRealGroup are luring in victims through fake articles describing endorsements from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

According to the FCAA, AllRealGroup, also known as AllReal Investments Pty Ltd., claims to operate a foreign exchange (forex) trading platform and offers Saskatchewan residents trading opportunities in forex via leverage trading and currency pairs.

“This alert applies to the online entity using the website ‘all-realgroup net’ (this URL has been manually altered so as not to be interactive),” the alert read.

The FCAA says AllRealGroup is not registered with the FCAA to trade or sell securities or derivatives in Saskatchewan.

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“Always check the registration status of an entity at aretheyregistered.ca before you invest, and do not deal with any unregistered entities," FCAA securities division executive director Dean Murrison said.

“Scammers often create fake news articles to mimic legitimate media and try to get you to make an investment based on a notable figure endorsement.”

If you have invested with AllRealGroup or anyone claiming to be acting on their behalf, contact the FCAA’s Securities Division at 306-787-5936.

To protect yourself, FCAA says always verify the person or company is registered in Saskatchewan to sell or advise about securities or derivatives, make sure you understand how the investment works, get a second opinion, and seek professional advice.

Never allow unknown individuals to remotely access your devices, and don’t make investment decisions based on notable figure endorsements, as scammers often create fake posts or articles claiming an investment is endorsed by a notable figure.