The most impersonated people of FY26: Deepfakes of Anthony Albanese, Gina Rinehart and Pauline Hanson rort Aussies out of millions

What do Prime Minister Anthony Albanese , economist Tom Piotrowski, billionaire Gina Rinehart and late veteran radio broadcaster John Laws all have in common?

They were among high-profile public figures most often impersonated by scammers to swindle $7.4 million from Australian victims last financial year.

The substantial sum was revealed amid a warning from ASIC about the sharp rise in online investment scams using AI-generated deepfake videos of politicians and celebrities.

In one clip, footage of the PM is overlaid with fake audio for a scheme promising a “guaranteed $50,000 income in the first month”.

But public figure impersonations are just one thread of a broader scheme to portray legitimacy, with fraudsters deploying spoof websites, bogus reviews and fake news articles to appear genuine and hook victims.

The corporate watchdog removed more than 19,000 online scams — including fake websites and social media ads, and dodgy cryptocurrency investments — in the 2026 financial year, almost triple that of 12 months prior.

Yet authorities know they must remain on the front foot, with their adversaries evolving all the time.

With scammers using generative AI to “create vast networks of deepfake websites and endorsements to lure victims”, ASIC said a quick online search was simply not good enough in 2026 to confirm if an investment opportunity was legitimate.

Many of these so-called “investment opportunities” do not exist, and the money handed over is soon in the hands of criminals abroad and never recovered.

Experts only recently told 7NEWS.com.au how major advances in artificial intelligence was powering hyper-realistic deepfake images, video and audio , making it challenging to distinguish what is authentic and what is artificial.

Mining magnate Rinehart and businessman and former Australian of the Year Dick Smith, who also appeared in ScamWatch’s recent list of impersonated public figures, have hit out at these types of scams before.

In 2023, the pair penned a direct letter to the Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg about their “deep concern” with a “persistent issue of scam advertisements and fraudulent content” on platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

Experts say scammers use the news cycle opportunistically, switching up “which celebrities they impersonate to capitalise on topical issues”.

“The presence of polished content, familiar branding or convincing testimonials does not mean an investment is legitimate,” ASIC chair Sarah Court said.