Published : 12 Mar 2025, 11:49 PM
A counterfeit website, designed to resemble bdnews24.com, has been spreading fake news linking actress Sadia Ayman to a lawsuit by Bangladesh Bank.
A Facebook page named “Ayoub Ayoub” (أيوب أيوب) shared the fabricated report, but it is no longer visible on the page.
The page was created on Jan 11 under the “women’s clothing store” category.
The fake news headline reads, "Central Bank of Bangladesh sues Sadia Ayman over statements she made on live television."
The counterfeit site uses the bdnews24.com masthead, but inconsistencies in its design reveal the forgery.
The fraudulent website operates under the URL newsnewsthe.click.
Clicking the bdnews24.com masthead on the site redirects users to “NetherexPro”, a trading platform promising financial gains upon registration.
The same platform is using images of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and National Citizens’ Party Convenor Nahid Islam, falsely claiming they endorse it.
The scheme appears to be part of a broader promotional strategy for NetherexPro, leveraging fake news and prominent figures to gain traction.
Previously, a similar website spread false reports involving Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed, which he later identified as fake.
That report was hosted on denver-roofing.com.
According to domain registry site “Who.is”, newsnewsthe.click was registered through “Namecheap” on Jan 21 for one year and was last updated on Jan 26.
The registration lists an address in Reykjavik, Iceland, under the name “Withheld for Privacy”, a service used to conceal domain ownership details.
The same address has been linked to suspicious domains in the past, as reported by The New York Times on Oct 9, 2024, and updated on Oct 15.
The Iceland-based registration also includes a contact number with the country’s code, while Namecheap's listed address is in Los Angeles, USA.
Besides actress Sadia and Finance Advisor Salehuddin, a previous fake report falsely linked Summit Group Chairman Mohammad Aziz Khan to financial misconduct.
Different Facebook pages have been used to spread these fabrications each time.
A bdnews24.com spokesperson said, “Our logo is repeatedly being used for such fraudulent activities. We will take action.”