The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson and Waleed Aly reveal they’ve been left ‘devastated’ and are ‘powerless’ against scammers who use their image to fool unsuspecting fans
On The Sunday Project, hosts Lisa Wilkinson and Waleed Aly reveal they have been targeted by scammers who use their image to fool unsuspecting fans.
Lisa, 60, became emotional as she implored fans not to fall for false advertising that uses her face to sell products like face cream, without her endorsement.
The journalist says she has enlisted lawyers, and has been at war with these scammers for over a decade.
Scams: On The Sunday Project, hosts Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) and Waleed Aly reveal they have been targeted by scammers who use their image to fool unsuspecting fans
She said: ‘Instagram and Facebook are the worst offenders. I’ve had lawyers on this for more than a decade, begging them to take it down, knowing the effect it was having on people.
‘If you ever see an ad that’s got my face attached to it and usually it’s some sort of moisturiser and they ask for your credit card, all they’re doing is they just want that number and take a small amount and then they’ll be regularly taking amounts.
‘Please don’t do it. If you know anybody who thinks they’re getting a moisturiser that’s got my name attached to it, you don’t. It’s awful.’
Fight: Lisa, 60, became emotional as she implored fans not to fall for false advertising that uses her face to sell products like face cream, without her endorsement. The journalist says she has enlisted lawyers, and has been at war with these scammers for over a decade
She said: ‘Instagram and Facebook are the worst offenders. I’ve had lawyers on this for more than a decade, begging them to take it down, knowing the effect it was having on people’
In 2018, Lisa also slammed an online advertisement which claimed she left Today to start her own skincare company as a ‘mixed-race person’.
Waleed, 42, said that he had also been targeted in such ads, including some selling the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
He told his co-hosts: ‘It’s devastating. I get emails probably every month or two from someone who says I’ve fallen for this. Can you confirm that it wasn’t real? And you feel so powerless, you feel so bad.
Target: Waleed, 42, (pictured) said that he had also been targeted in such ads, including some selling the cryptocurrency Bitcoin
He told his co-hosts: ‘It’s devastating. I get emails probably every month or two from someone who says I’ve fallen for this. Can you confirm that it wasn’t real? And you feel so powerless, you feel so bad’
‘Because I’m now connected to this awful situation for these people irrevocably. It’s got nothing to do with me but it feels like it’s got everything to do with me.’
Waleed added, ‘I have not and will not be endorsing bitcoin. I will make that abundantly clear.’
Another star of The Project, Carrie Bickmore has recently slammed an online advertisement scam, which claimed she was leaving the show to become a beauty entrepreneur.
Not true: Another star of The Project, Carrie Bickmore (pictured) has recently slammed an online advertisement scam, which claimed she was leaving the show to become a beauty entrepreneur
The TV journalist, 40, pleaded with her social media fans to be wary and to ignore the fake articles about her change in career.
‘Please ignore and DO NOT click on the link to purchase the product. It’s a scam and they will take your money,’ Carrie said in the Instagram post.
‘SCAM WARNING. If you see articles or fake ads popping up on your social media feeds saying I am leaving The Project to focus on my FACE CREAM/BEAUTY BUSINESS please ignore,’ she wrote.
Warning: ‘Please ignore and DO NOT click on the link to purchase the product. It’s a scam and they will take your money,’ Carrie said in the Instagram post