Scam simulator · Computer, online and social media
A well-known TV money expert seems to recommend a new AI trading platform, and it looks like a real news story. Practice each step, and see how a $250 deposit is used to reach much more.
Why it matters: In the year to June 2026, Australia's financial regulator took down 19,400 scam websites and links, 182% more than the year before. 7,051 of them were fake investment platforms. (ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission), August 2026)
It’s evening and you’re scrolling through your social media feed on your tablet, looking at photos from friends and family.
Below, each step shows what you'd see, the choices people make, and why each one is safe or risky. The summary at the end tells you what to look for and what to do.
You'll see each message or call as it would really look. Choose what you'd do, and you'll find out why. Nothing here is real: no messages are sent and nothing you choose leaves your device.
Between photos of your friends’ grandchildren, a video post appears. You recognize the face at once.
Daily Money NewsSponsored
TV money expert: "This is the one investment I tell my own family about"
Picture: A video of a famous TV money expert in a studio, looking straight at the camera. The caption reads: "Put in $250. Let the AI do the rest."
The nation’s favorite money expert has finally spoken about the new AI trading platform that is turning ordinary savers into millionaires. Early users report turning $250 into more than $8,000 in their first month. Places are limited.
Read the full story
What do you do?
Would a trusted money expert really promise to turn $250 into thousands?
Tap “Read the full story”. If he recommends it, it’s worth a look.
Risky choice (your choice)
That’s what the video is made for: to borrow the trust you already have in a familiar face. The video is fake, and tapping takes you to a page built to collect your details.
Watch the whole video to see whether it looks real.
Better, but not the safest (your choice)
Watching costs nothing by itself, but today’s fakes are very good. Australia’s financial regulator says “AI is making investment scams more convincing and harder to detect.” You can’t judge by looking. The promise of huge, easy returns is the giveaway.
Scroll past. Real money experts don’t promise to turn $250 into thousands. I report the ad to the social network.
Safe choice (your choice)
That’s the safest choice. A famous person promoting a quick way to get rich is a warning sign in itself. Reporting the ad tells the social network it’s a scam.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
The video is a deepfake: a fake made with AI that copies a real person’s face and voice and makes them say things they never said. Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner in England says Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert is the most impersonated well-known person in these scams, and his team says plainly: “Martin doesn’t do adverts.” In Australia, the most-copied faces include Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Gina Rinehart. In Ireland, fake ads use well-known political and business figures.
Suppose you tap the link. It opens what looks like a news website, with an exclusive story and a sign-up form.
EXCLUSIVE: Money expert's live TV slip reveals the platform banks don't want you to know about
During a live interview, the presenter tried to cut him off, but it was too late. He had revealed the AI trading platform that has made his own family wealthy.
“I put in $250 on a Monday. By Friday I had $3,140.” Margaret, 71, retired teacher
“I’ve paid off my mortgage. I wish I’d found this years ago.” Ron, 66
Registrations close at midnight tonight.
First name
Last name
Phone number
Start earning now
The story looks real, and there are reviews from people like you. What do you do?
Look at the web address. Is this a news website you know?
Fill in my name, email and phone number. It’s free to sign up.
Risky choice (your choice)
Signing up costs nothing, but it hands your phone number to a call center whose job is to persuade you. Within hours or days, a friendly “account manager” will ring.
Read the reviews. If people my age have made money, it’s probably fine.
Risky choice (your choice)
The reviews are made up, along with the names and ages. They’re there to make you feel that people like you are already doing well. It’s one of the oldest tricks in selling.
Check the web address, and look for the story on the real news website by typing its address myself.
Safe choice (your choice)
Well done. The address isn’t a real news site, and the story won’t be on the real one. Checking for yourself, on a website you type in, is how you catch a fake.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
These pages copy the look of trusted news sites such as the BBC in the UK, the ABC in Australia or the CBC in Canada, but they sit on odd web addresses. MoneySavingExpert says the fake ads also appear in paid ad spaces on real news websites, so seeing one on a site you trust doesn’t make it real. Reuters reported in 2025 that Meta’s own documents estimated about 10% of its 2024 revenue, around US$16 billion, would come from scam and banned-goods ads.
Many people do sign up. Suppose you did. The next morning, your phone rings.
Incoming call
Caller ID: (646) 555-0139
James is friendly and professional. What do you do?
Did you ask anyone to call you about investing?
Pay the $250 by card. It’s a small amount to try it out.
Risky choice (your choice)
This is how these scams usually begin: a small deposit that feels safe. Real victims have started with $250, £200 or C$350. The deposit shows the scammers that you’ll pay, and it opens the door to much bigger requests.
Say I’ll think about it, and let him call back tomorrow.
Better, but not the safest (your choice)
Taking time is good, but these callers are patient and persistent, and each call builds a little more trust. It’s better to check the company yourself now, and hang up for good if it isn’t registered.
Ask for the company’s name, then check it on my country’s official register before paying anything.
Safe choice (your choice)
That’s the right instinct. Most real investment firms must be registered, and you can check for free (see the list at the end). Use contact details you find yourself, not the ones the caller gives you. If the firm isn’t listed, or is on a warning list, hang up.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
Australia’s Scamwatch says that after you fill in the form, the scammer, “pretending to be an account manager”, calls you and asks for a first deposit of about $250. The callers are often in call centers overseas. In the UK, one woman was called by two “bond traders” and paid her first $250 by credit card.
Suppose you paid the $250. James calls again. He wants to help you set up a crypto wallet.
Incoming call
Caller ID: (646) 555-0139
James wants to connect to your tablet. What do you do?
What could a stranger do if they could see and control your screen?
Install the app and read him the code. He’s the expert.
Risky choice (your choice)
This gives a stranger control of your tablet or computer. With it, scammers can open real crypto accounts in your name, see your online banking and move money. One UK victim said they led her through setting up an account and then “asked me to open an app on my iPad called AnyDesk”.
Let him connect, but watch the screen closely.
Risky choice (your choice)
Watching doesn’t protect you. The caller can work faster than you can follow, and some of these tools can blank your screen. Once connected, they can open accounts and move money in your name.
Say no and hang up. I never let anyone who contacted me take control of my device.
Safe choice (your choice)
Exactly right. No real investment firm needs to control your device. If anyone asks you to install a screen-sharing or remote-access app, it’s time to end the call.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
Remote-access apps are real tools, used by honest IT helpers. In the wrong hands, they give a scammer your screen, your keyboard and your logged-in accounts. In these scams, the “manager” uses the connection to open crypto accounts in your name and move your money through them. Crypto payments usually can’t be reversed.
Suppose you let him connect. Over the next two weeks, your account seems to grow every day.
AI Trade Platform
Balance: $1,912.40
+665% since you joined
Your AI trader is working. 38 winning trades this week.
Clients who add $10,000 or more move to Premium, with profits of up to 40% a month.
Upgrade to Premium
Your $250 now shows as $1,912. What do you think?
Who decides what this screen shows?
It’s working. I should add more before I miss out.
Risky choice (your choice)
The numbers are made up. The dashboard shows whatever the scammers want it to. Scamwatch warns that they show fake dashboards, and may even let you take out a little money, to win your trust before asking for much more.
Try taking out my profit first, to see if it’s real.
Better, but not the safest (your choice)
It sounds like a sensible test, but it doesn’t prove anything. The scammers may well let a small withdrawal through, because it makes you trust them. The real test is whether the company is on your country’s official register. A fake platform won’t be.
Stop here. I hang up on any more calls and ask my card company about the $250.
Safe choice (your choice)
Good. Walking away now keeps your loss small. Call your card company on the number on your card: they may be able to dispute the $250 payment. Then remove the screen-sharing app.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
Your money was never traded. The dashboard is part of the stage set, just like the news page. In 2025, Americans aged 60 and over reported losing $3.5 billion to investment scams, more than to any other kind of fraud reported to the FBI.
Suppose you’ve watched the balance climb. James calls with an opportunity.
Incoming call
Caller ID: (646) 555-0139
James wants you to use retirement savings or borrow, and keep it quiet. What do you do?
What do secrecy, loans and a deadline have in common?
Take money from my retirement savings. The account has been doing so well.
Risky choice (your choice)
This is where the biggest losses happen. An 86-year-old woman in Ontario cashed in C$650,000 of retirement savings and took out a C$350,000 mortgage after seeing a deepfake of Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney. She lost about C$900,000.
Borrow a smaller amount instead, so my savings stay safe.
Risky choice (your choice)
A loan still sends your money to the scammers, and you’d have to pay it back. There’s no safe amount to put into a fake platform.
Stop. Anyone who tells me to borrow, use my retirement savings and keep it secret is a scammer. I tell my family and my bank.
Safe choice (your choice)
That’s exactly right. Secrecy, loans and retirement money are three of the biggest warning signs. Talking to your family and your bank before any money moves is one of the best protections there is.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
Once you trust the dashboard, the calls turn to bigger money. The woman in Ontario was told not to talk about the investment with friends, because they would be jealous. In England, a retired engineer who saw a deepfake of Martin Lewis started with £200 and was then encouraged to add £5,000.
Suppose you try to take your money out. The balance says $31,480. Then a message appears on the platform.
AI Trade Platform
Balance: $31,480.00
Withdrawal paused
Withdrawal paused: liquidity check required.
To protect your funds, a refundable liquidity deposit of $5,000 is required before your withdrawal can be processed. A security verification fee may also apply.
This payment cannot be taken from your balance.
Pay deposit
To get your money, you must pay a $5,000 "liquidity" deposit first. What do you do?
Would a real firm make you send more money before it gives you yours?
Pay it. It’s refundable, and I’ll get $31,000 back.
Risky choice (your choice)
Nothing will come back. After the “liquidity” payment comes a “security” fee, then another. The retired engineer in England was asked for £5,000 for “liquidity”, then £10,000 for “security”. He lost £20,000 of his life savings.
Ask James to take the fee out of my balance instead.
Better, but not the safest (your choice)
It’s a good question, and the answer tells you everything. He’ll say it can’t be done, for a reason that sounds technical. A fee you must pay separately before you can withdraw is the sign of a scam.
Stop paying. I call my bank now and report it.
Safe choice (your choice)
That’s the right move, even though it’s hard. You’re being asked to pay to get your own money, which real firms don’t do. Call your bank on the number on your card, then report it.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
Scamwatch says that when you try to get your money out, scammers ask for “withdrawal fees or mention tax issues”, and you may be locked out of your account. The balance was never real. Every fee is simply more money going to the scammers.
Suppose you’ve stopped paying. James stops calling, and the platform won’t let you log in. A few weeks later, an email arrives.
Dear client,
We are a recovery firm working alongside international regulators. Our investigators have traced the $25,250 you sent to AI Trade Platform, and we can return it within 14 days.
To open your case, a refundable processing fee of $1,200 is required. Please do not discuss this case with your bank, as it may delay the release of your funds.
Open my case
The email knows how much you sent. What do you do?
How would a stranger know exactly how much you lost?
Pay the fee. They know the details, so they must be genuine.
Risky choice (your choice)
They usually know the details because they’re the same criminals, or bought the information from them. Real help, through your bank or the police, is free. This is a second scam aimed at people who’ve already lost money.
Delete it, remove the screen-sharing app, change my passwords and report everything.
Safe choice (your choice)
That’s right. Removing the app closes the door the scammers may still have into your device. Report the first scam and this email too, and tell your bank.
Red flags at this step
What's really going on
Recovery scams are common after investment scams. The FTC says scammers buy and trade lists of people who’ve already lost money. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says it “will never ask for payment to recover lost funds.” If you’re not sure how to remove the screen-sharing app, have your device checked by someone you trust.
The famous face never recommended anything. The video was made with AI, the news page was a copy, and the reviews were invented. The account manager was a scammer following a script, and the platform showed whatever numbers the scammers typed in. The $250 was bait: small enough to feel safe, and enough to show you would pay. One habit stops it at the start: don’t invest through an ad, and check any firm on your country’s official register before you pay a cent.
Test your family
Send this simulator to a parent, grandparent or friend. They try it on their own phone or computer, and at the end they can send their score straight back to you, so you can see which steps caught them out. Then talk it over together.
Nothing is sent to us. Your first name and their score travel only inside the link you send, after the # sign, which web browsers never send to our website.
You were challenged
Finish the simulator above, then you can send your score back. They'll see which steps you got right, and which ones caught you out.
Only your first name and which answers you chose go in the link, after the # sign. Nothing is sent to us.
From simulator to confidence
This simulator is one scam. Scam-Proof puts 50 of today's scams in one calm, large-print book to keep by the phone, for you and the people you love.
This scam is in the book. Chapter 8 covers investment and crypto offers, and scams 29 and 37 in the book's 50-scam library cover the celebrity advert and the AI trading robot.
254 pages · 16-point large print · paperback and Kindle ebook · written for older adults and the families who help them
Scam-Proof is almost ready. Leave your email and we'll tell you the day it's on Amazon.
See inside Scam-Proof · Buying it for someone? Read our gift guide.
Summary · keep this
Remember: Treat any ad where a famous person promises big, easy investment returns as a scam, however real the video looks. Check any firm on your country’s official register before you pay anything.
Don't be embarrassed. These scams are run by professionals, and acting fast gives you the best chance of stopping the damage.
Phone numbers and web addresses were checked on 28 September 2026. They can change; if one doesn't work, search for the organization's official website, and please let us know.
The people, numbers, companies and web addresses shown in this simulator are made up. The way the scam works is taken from real cases reported by police, regulators and consumer groups.
Practice what to do when a friendly wrong-number text turns into a new friend, a crypto trading app and a tax bill before you can take your money out.
Practice what to do when a loud pop-up says your computer is locked: the phone number, the friendly technician, the fake scan and the gift cards.
Practice spotting a recovery scam: the firm that knows your loss, the fake federal agent, the upfront fee and the "recovered" money you can never withdraw.
Prefer to read? What Should Seniors Know About AI? 10 Things Worth Knowing in 2026
Printable wallet cards, a family safe-word sheet, easy AI prompts and a trusted-numbers sheet for beside the phone. Free when you join the Plainspoken Tech letter.
