Scam ‘news’ posts have been seen surfacing on social media feeds across the Isle of Man.

The links and imagery appear to promote online ‘news’ stories published by the Isle of Man Today website.

One fake story purports to carry an interview with Chief Minister Alfred Cannan while another uses an image of an individual called Samuel Leach - both of whom are totally unwitting victims in these scams.

Anyone who clicks the links are taken to a lengthy online story - again featuring Isle of Man Today branding - which allegedly features an interview.

However, as readers scroll down the story, the article turns into a sales pitch, encouraging readers to invest money into a fake financial scheme.

The scam posts have been reported to both the government’s Cyber Security Centre for the Isle of Man and Facebook.

Media Isle of Man editor Dion Jones said: ‘We are extremely concerned that our (Isle of Man Today) name, branding and imagery have been stolen and is being used to try and fool unsuspecting readers into parting with their money.

‘We contacted the island’s Cyber Security Centre as soon as we became aware of the fictitious posts and links.

‘It seems that the links are being posted to Facebook via a number of unauthorised accounts and we have also reported these to Meta (Facebook’s parent company).

‘I would urge readers to stay vigilant and to not click through on any links not distributed through Isle of Man Today’s official online and social media channels (see below).

Isle of Man Today’s official website: https://www.iomtoday.co.im/

Isle of Man Today’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/isleofmantoday

Isle of Man Today’s official ‘x’ (formerly Twitter) account: https://x.com/isleofmantoday?lang=en

Isle of Man Today’s official Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/isleofmantoday/?hl=en