Saskatchewan’s financial and consumer affairs authority wants investors in the province to be aware of an online scam using fake news articles and an image of Prime Minister Mark Carney falsely endorsing a business that may be illegitimate.

The scam claims the PM is endorsing the trading platform Canfirst, a news release from the province says.

According to the province, Canfirst claims to offer Saskatchewan residents trading opportunities that include stocks, cryptocurrencies and forex. However, the province says Canfirst is not registered with the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) to sell securities or derivatives in the province.

The province says the warning applies to the online entity using the website “canfirst net” and that the URL has been manually altered to not be interactive.

“The FCAA cautions investors and consumers not to send money to companies that are not registered in Saskatchewan, as they may not be legitimate businesses,” the release said.

People who have invested with Canfirst, or anyone claiming to be acting on their behalf are asked to contact the FCAA’s securities division.

According to the province, tips to protect yourself include:

• Always verify that the person or company is registered in Saskatchewan to sell or advise about securities or derivatives. To check registration, visit The Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Registration Search at aretheyregistered.ca.
• Know exactly what you are investing in. Make sure you understand how the investment, product, or service works.
• Get a second opinion and seek professional advice about the investment.
• Do not allow unknown or unverified individuals to remotely access your computer.
• Never make an investment decision based solely on a notable figure endorsement. Scammers often create fake news articles to mimic legitimate media.