Former Sunrise host David Koch has called on regulators to “crack down” on social media platforms that have again run his image in posts to promote suspected scams.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Koch shared a doctored image of himself used by suspected scammers.
The photo showed Kochie with black eyes and a slumped look on his face.
The images were accompanied by a post that read, “This article has spread like wildfire today. Read the full story here.”
The post has a link and a fake headline that read “This is the dark truth behind the incident”.
Fed-up, Koch tagged the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in his post.
“WTF … land back in Sydney to this crap all over social media,” he said.
“BEWARE this is a scam for those who don’t realise. When are the authorities going to crack down on the platforms carrying these scams(?)”
During his time as Sunrise host, Koch was no stranger to having his image and name used by suspected scammers.
In January, it was reported a 73-year-old great-grandmother from Western Australia had fallen victim to a cryptocurrency scam, losing her life savings of $150,000 after being lured in by a deceptive advertisement featuring Koch. The incident left her devastated and eager to warn others about the dangers of such scams.
Dale Hambrook, the scam victim, spoke to 7 NEWS of the ordeal.
“I wish it could all go away,” she said.
The elaborate scheme began in June when Hambrook received an email from an unfamiliar sender claiming that Koch was a successful investor in Bitcoin.
Struggling with mounting medical expenses, she saw this as an opportunity to improve her financial situation and afford necessary eye surgery.
“I got an email about Kochie investing in Bitcoin, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a few extra dollars,” Hambrook explained. The email directed her to sign up for the fake trading scheme, initially requiring a $250 fee, but the costs quickly escalated.
“There was $7500, and the next one was $10,000, and there were a couple of $15,000s, and then it just kept going until I said, ‘I’ve got no more money’,” she lsaid.
Hambrook only realised she had been scammed when she attempted to withdraw some of her invested money, and communication with the scammers abruptly ceased.
In April, while still hosting Sunrise, Kock was forced to tell the public he was still alive after he was targeted by a cruel death hoax with criminals using his image and fake news articles of his passing to scam people.
He was bombarded with “tributes” when a Twitter post, Originating from a hacked account, announcing his death went viral.
Koch assured his followers that he was “alive and well” despite taking a week off work.
“Just for clarity, I’m alive and well and enjoying AFL’s Gather Round in Adelaide with all my family. This stuff is really giving me the s**ts,” he said.
Last year, the ACCC took legal action against Meta for allegedly engaging in deceptive conduct by allowing the publication of fraudulent ads featuring well-known Australian public figures.
The ACCC argued that the ads, promoting cryptocurrency and money-making schemes, misled Facebook users into believing these schemes were endorsed by figures like Koch and other figures like Dick Smith and former NSW Premier Mike Baird, despite the celebrities never approving or supporting them.
Get in touch – jack.evans@news.com.au