Late Madeline’s name, mugshot misused to promote unregulated online trading platform
by The Borneo Post · Borneo Post OnlineKUCHING (March 31): The late economist Datuk Dr Madeline Berma’s name and mugshot are being misused by scammers to promote an unregulated online trading platform, national daily The Star confirmed.
The Star Media Group Berhad said it had been notified that the scammers had also misused the newspaper’s name and logo to facilitate the promotion of the platform.
“Among others, the platform stated that during the last two years of her life, Madeline became seriously interested in algorithmic trading… and used the automated platform based on artificial intelligence,” the Group said in a statement.
It added that a fake news article misusing The Star’s logo had been circulating about the late economist.
“Star Media Group wishes to clarify that the article is not affiliated with The Star in any way. Please do not interact with such articles, social media pages, or suspicious ads seen on social media.
“Should you come across fake news articles, social media advertisements, or suspicious social media pages impersonating The Star or any other brands, please file a report with Facebook,” it said.
Meanwhile, a relative of Madeline told The Borneo Post that her immediate family members would discuss possible actions against perpetrators of the scam.
“The scam and promotion of the unregulated online trading platform misusing The Star’s name and logo, as well as Madeline’s name and mugshot, began on March 27,” said the relative.
Madeline passed away on Dec 30, 2025.