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‘It’s a scam’: Carrie Bickmore warns fans about online skincare con

Aug 27, 2018

A new scam is tricking Aussies into thinking they're buying skincare products from their favourite TV personalities. Source: Getty

Many Baby Boomers are wising up to scams that take aim at vulnerable Aussies in a bid to take their hard-earned cash, with many crooks using the guise of big companies such as Telstra and the NBN to try and trick people into handing over their personal details.

However there is now a new scam being spread online, which tries to fool Aussies into thinking they’re buying skincare products from their favourite TV personalities.

Carrie Bickmore raised the alarm on Monday when she posted a scathing message on Instagram, slamming an online advertisement which claims she’s leaving Channel Ten’s The Project to start her own skincare company, warning fans it’s a scam.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, she wrote: “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 and DO NOT click on the link to purchase the product. It’s a scam and they will take your money. Very sneaky. They have been targeting a few different presenters.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm97toJnIXw/?taken-by=bickmorecarrie

Fans were quick to comment, with one writing: “I saw this! Thought it looked weird.” Another added: “My poor nan fell for the one with Lisa Wilkinson, the cream arrived after she changed her bank details but she’s too scared to use it.”

And Carrie isn’t the only TV star they’ve targeted – in March her co-star Lisa Wilkinson slammed a similar advertisement that was circulating on social media, which claimed she left Today to also start her own skincare company.

Taking to Twitter, Lisa warned her followers the advertisement was a scam. She wrote: “So apparently this BS “moisturiser” is called Final Skin (pretty grim name in itself) but the dumb-ass quote supposedly from me is priceless: ‘If you have a face and your face has skin, Final Skin will work for you…As a mixed-race person that is the first thing I made sure of’.”

So apparently this BS “moisturiser” is called Final Skin (pretty grim name in itself) but the dumb-ass quote supposedly from me is priceless:
“If you have a face and your face has skin, Final Skin will work for you…As a mixed-race person that is the first thing I made sure of.” pic.twitter.com/CwUjN6nBYk

— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) March 17, 2018

Lisa Wilkinson hosted the Todayshow for more than 10 years before abruptly quitting in October last year.

It comes after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) warned Australians to beware of scammers trying to access their personal details, computer and bank accounts through new and dangerous methods.

The ACCC’s Scamwatch website has seen a dramatic spike in what are known as remote access scams. So far this year more than 8,000 reports have been recorded, with losses costing Australians $4.4 million. The new scams have been described as “concerning” and have already surpassed those for the whole of 2017.