18 September 2023 

Dear 7 News, 

I recently discovered a Facebook advertisement that used fake news, which purported to be from the trusted news website 7News.com.au. The article contained endorsements from Kochi, promoting the idea of making easy money in cryptocurrency using an AI crypto platform called ‘Quantum Trade Wave’. The article claimed that you only needed $350 to start making money and even mentioned how Larry Emdur made $57 within 20 minutes. 

The article appeared legitimate, as it used trusted authorities to endorse its authenticity, and even a purported personal manager immediately called me. This personal manager sounded very cheerful, friendly, and eager for me to complete the onboarding process. 

During the first phone call (from the number 07 3845 1130), she informed me that she had sent four emails, including one with login information, and was willing to stay on the line until I confirmed the receipt of these emails. 

She also expressed her eagerness to receive the $350 payment over the phone. I informed her that I was about to enter a meeting and she responded with, ‘It only takes a few minutes to complete…’ I replied, ‘Sorry, I need to go now, and I will review the emails once I finish my lengthy meeting.’ At this, she chuckled and seemed to be conversing with someone else, saying, ‘Oh, he said it’s a long meeting…’ 

The emails I received from her were sent from an email server with the domain name ‘auventuregroup.com,’ and the registration link directed to ‘https://auventure.com.’ 

A few hours later, she called from a different number (02 7259 8084), and I said to her on the phone, ‘This is a very well-organized scam.’ She replied, ‘No, I am not a scammer. I am calling from Quantum Trade Wave.’ I responded, ‘No worries, I will report this to the Australian Federal Police,’ and she replied with an upset voice, ‘YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE; THIS CONVERSATION IS RECORDED…’

Here’s how I discovered that it was a fake website: 

Fake 7news.com.au Website

The website is hosted by an IP address of 5.188.119.119:

Real 7news.com.au Website

Domain ownership of auventure.com

The domain appears to belong to an organizaon registered in Iceland.

Conclusion

Sadly, many people will get scammed by this, as the amount of money involved may seem small in comparison to the promise of a huge return without doing anything.
I hope my sharing of this discovery will help you avoid similar scamming methods.

Alex Halim
Principal Cybersecurity Consultant