The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) today issued a warning against a number of entities falsely claiming they are regulated by ASIC.

The regulator says it is aware of websites displaying or linking to fake ASIC company registration certificates. These certificates are fake because they look like ASIC documents, or use ASIC’s logo, but they contain information about companies that are not registered.

Recent examples of fake ASIC company registration documents include documents about Global Capital Swiss Corp, COIN POBIT and A Glance Group LLC.

This document looks like an ASIC document, but it contains details of an entity that is not registered.

Earlier this year, ASIC noted greater numbers of scammers that are taking advantage of people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports of misconduct to ASIC over January/February 2021 are up by more than 200% compared to last year.

Many scammers are sophisticated at creating fake platforms, which often include imposter social media pages, websites, phone lines, fake regulators and stock exchanges. It is increasingly difficult to differentiate between legitimate companies and scammers, ASIC said back then.