'It's not me': PM Lee warns people not to respond to online ads using his image

SINGAPORE - Fake advertisements that name Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and use his image to promote crypto scams, among others, have been seen on the Internet recently, PM Lee said on Facebook on Saturday (July 22) night.

He said such advertisements, which tend to surface after a major speech or announcement with lots of media coverage, have re-emerged in the past few days.

"If the ad uses my image to sell you a product, or asks you to invest in some scheme, or even uses my voice to tell you to send money, it's not me," he added.

PM Lee said he saw some of these fake ads while surfing the Internet and was also alerted to them by Singaporeans who wrote to him.

In his post, he attached a screenshot showing a fake CNA report titled "Special Report: Lee Hsien Loong's latest investment has the Government and big banks terrified". His photo was used in the article.

PM Lee urged the public not to respond to scams, fake news or ads similar to the screenshot he shared and to report them via the official ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp.

Those who have been scammed can lodge an online police report, he added.

This is not the first time scammers have used PM Lee's identity in their schemes. In October 2022, scammers sent fake e-mails in his name to target personalities, such as government leaders, in various scams.

In one case, scammers created an e-mail to look like it came from the Prime Minister's Office and its contents thanked the recipients for their contributions to Singapore.

In June 2022, the police warned the public against fake online articles that purportedly show PM Lee endorsing cryptocurrency auto-trading programmes.

Scammers had similarly targeted Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and falsely linked them to products online.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.