By Adrian Suljanovic
Publication Date: 2026-04-08 07:00:00
ASIC has stepped up its crackdown on online investment scams, removing a record number of phishing and scam websites in 2025, as the regulator warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is making fraud detection harder for Australians.
New ASIC data showed the regulator coordinated the removal of 11,964 phishing and investment scam websites between January 1 and December 31, 2025, a 90 per cent increase compared to 6,270 takedowns in the previous 12-month period.
This equated to an average of 32 websites per day or 230 per week.
Since launching its takedown service in 2023, ASIC said it had removed more than 25,000 phishing and investment scam websites.
The regulator also removed more than 1,100 online investment scam ads on social media in 2025, as it warned that fraudsters are increasingly using AI to create more compelling content and trick users into revealing personal information.
ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland said fraudsters were exploiting growing public interest in AI by…
