Repeatedly, we have witnessed how easily people fall victim to scams, particularly through deceptive online advertisements that appear remarkably authentic. Recently, our esteemed badminton star, Dato' Lee Chong Wei, drew attention to the prevalence of multiple fake accounts impersonating him to promote purported discounts on products at Sunway Pyramid Mall. 

The mall's management also issued an official statement clarifying that they have no affiliation with these online ads and urged customers to discern the mall's official social media account, which bears a verified blue tick, from these counterfeit accounts.

Online posters claimed that these ads were 'sponsored' and featured Dato' Lee Chong Wei and Dato' Siti Nurhaliza's images to endorse discounted products supposedly available at the mall. Notably, this is not the first time the mall has encountered such incidents, but scammers have now escalated their tactics by impersonating local celebrities.

Dato' Lee Chong Wei took to his official social media account to caution his followers against falling for unverified accounts and announced that his legal team would take action against the misuse of his image. He emphasized the presence of the official blue tick on his account, distinguishing it from the imposter account. 

As of now, there have been no reports of individuals falling victim to these scams, and most, if not all, of the fraudulent accounts have been removed following reports. It remains unclear whether Sunway Pyramid or the legendary athlete have filed police reports, but let this serve as a reminder to always verify the legitimacy of such ads by checking for verified accounts.