WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Multinational energy company SSE is refunding investors in Papua New Guinea.
OUR VERDICT
False. The refund scheme is fake and appears to be a scam.
AAP FACTCHECK - Fake Papua New Guinea newspaper front pages are being used by scammers to falsely claim that a multinational energy company is issuing refunds to local investors.
Scotland-headquartered SSE has warned the posts have no connection to the company, and the social media posts appear to be part of a scam.
Claims appear in Facebook posts in popular PNG community groups as well as pages and groups set up to promote the scam.
"BREAKING: SSE REFUNDS BEGINS AFTER GM ANNA'S VISIT TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA," one post reads.
"A wave of successful investor withdrawals has followed the recent visit of GM Anna to Papua New Guinea, marking a major milestone in the SSE Refund Program."
The post is accompanied by a graphic purporting to show an SSE refund receipt and featuring the logo of the PNG Sun newspaper.
Another post features an image of a story about the refund scheme, supposedly on the front page of the Post-Courier, a major PNG newspaper, on May 17, 2025.
However, there was no printed newspaper that day, as the Post-Courier does not publish Saturday editions.
An image of a front page story about the scheme in a publication titled the "UK TIMES NEWSPAPER" appears in another post.
Many posts reference a "GM Anna" alongside an image of a blonde, jeans-clad young woman.
AAP FactCheck could not find a general manager named Anna at SSE, however, it has a chief executive named Martin Pibworth and four male managing directors.
The woman in the image appears to be generated by artificial intelligence (AI), with her unfeasibly large right hand a classic indicator of AI.
A reverse image search reveals that one of the images purporting to show "Anna" is being used by an apparently US-based Facebook profile with a different name, as well as multiple profiles on Russian dating websites.
SSE has published a statement warning people against clicking links attached to the posts: "We advise that these individuals or organisations are not connected with SSE plc in any way.
"They have no authority either to claim or imply that they are connected with SSE plc and appear to be running a scam."
The Facebook posts appear to be a follow-up from a 2024 scam involving internet users impersonating the energy company, which SSE also warned against in an X post.
In that situation, scammers falsely claimed SSE was running an investment scheme, with a Facebook group set up in November 2024 purporting to represent the company in PNG and a description reading: "Online money Making SSE."
"SSE is No Doubt…" the description continues.
"I'll assest [sic] you online or other flat forms.. If you want to confirm.. WhatsApp video calls will be allowed and we'll explain to you proper."
The recent Facebook posts specifically reference a refund scheme for investors who put money into the initial fraudulent investment scam in 2024.
However, they're littered with fabricated information, such as the fake newspaper front pages.
The format and layout displayed in the images do not match the genuine Post-Courier's front page.
The "UK Times" image suggests it's a front page from February 20, 2025, but it doesn't match The Times newspaper's actual front page from that date.
Another website called The UK Times, which appears to be a content farm set up to generate stories for ad revenue, doesn't appear to publish in print and therefore lacks a front page.
A Google site search surfaced no articles about SSE operations in Papua New Guinea or investor refunds.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
