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Consumers duped by price comparison websites, ASIC warns

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Cite

Consumers duped by price comparison websites, ASIC warns. (2026, September 21). ABC News (AU). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-22/asic-price-comparison-websites-warning-misleading-consumers/107179656

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

ABC News (AU) · collected 2026-09-21

Quick Summary

ASIC has warned consumers about misleading practices on price comparison websites, which often prioritize products from providers who pay them over a full market view. The watchdog has taken legal action against multiple sites, including Choosi and Clark Family Pty Ltd, for allegedly promoting policies from single brands while claiming to offer comparisons across many providers. ASIC commissioner Alan Kirkland advises consumers to use several comparison sites and be cautious about signing service agreements that may sell their private data.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has warned consumers about price comparison websites like Choosi, which offer insurance products such as life, funeral, income protection, and health insurance. The Federal Court found that Choosi misled consumers from mid-2019 to 2023 by claiming to compare a wide range of policies when Hannover Life Re issued most of the policies listed. ASIC's commissioner Alan Kirkland advised that while comparison websites can be helpful starting points, they often prioritize products based on payments received from providers, potentially offering an incomplete market view. This warning comes as part of multiple court actions by ASIC against such sites for misleading practices and promoting single brands heavily.

Written for “Consumer Warnings Price Comparison Sites” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Consumer Warnings Price Comparison Sites
Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
30%
6 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
ABC News (AU)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

ABC News (AU) · 4729 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

No reporter is named on this article.

Topics

ASIC Australian Securities and Investments Commission Australians Choosi The Federal Court

Subjects

Kirkland ORG · 4× Choosi ORG · 3× ASIC ORG · 2× Australians NORP · 2× Alan Kirkland PERSON · 1× Australian Securities and Investments Commission ORG · 1× Clark Family Pty Ltd ORG · 1× Greenstone Financial Services ORG · 1× Hannover Life Re ORG · 1× The Federal Court ORG · 1×

Narrative

The Federal Court recently found comparison site Choosi — which offers life, funeral, income protection and health insurance products — misled consumers over four years from mid-2019 after claiming to compare a slew of funeral and life insurance policies, when Hannover Life Re issued all but one of the policies offered.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
🔮 The products that are listed by many comparison sites are selected and ordered based on what the product providers pay to the comparison sites, and they may not give you a full view of the market," Mr Kirkland said.
2026-09-22 · ABC News (AU)
Consumers duped by price comparison websites, ASIC warns · mixed framing

Claims (20 extracted, 6 hedged)

In short: The corporate watchdog has issued a warning against price comparison websites for allegedly misleading consumers. uncertain
watchdog → issue → consumers
ASIC has launched multiple court actions regarding the range of products offered and sites promoting multiple leads from a single brand. asserted
ASIC → launch → brand
The watchdog also warned consumers about service agreements, ensuring they don't sign away private data. asserted
they → warn → data
Australians hunting bargains on comparison websites risk being duped by sites that only offer a selection of preferred providers. asserted
that → hunt → providers
The corporate watchdog has issued a warning after launching multiple court actions against websites for allegedly misleading consumers about the range of financial services and products on offer and, in some cases, promoting multiple leads from a single brand. uncertain
watchdog → issue → brand
While comparison websites are a good place to start for prices and services information, consumers should conduct deeper research, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) commissioner Alan Kirkland said. " asserted
Kirkland → start → research
The products that are listed by many comparison sites are selected and ordered based on what the product providers pay to the comparison sites, and they may not give you a full view of the market," Mr Kirkland said. uncertain
Kirkland → list → market
"It's important to actually use a range of comparison sites in order to get a fuller view of the market." asserted
It → use → market
The Federal Court recently found comparison site Choosi — which offers life, funeral, income protection and health insurance products — misled consumers over four years from mid-2019 after claiming to compare a slew of funeral and life insurance policies, when Hannover Life Re issued all but one of the policies offered. asserted
Re → find → policies
Every single policy in question was distributed by Greenstone Financial Services, a company linked with Choosi. asserted
policy → distribute → Choosi
The court has not set a date to hand down Choosi's penalty, but an administrative hearing will be held later on Tuesday. asserted
hearing → set → Tuesday
Warning shot fired The watchdog launched a case on Friday against lead-generating business Clark Family Pty Ltd, which offers free online assessments for loans and insurance products. asserted
which → fire → loans
The commission alleges up to 70 of its websites misled consumers by claiming to compare rates and options from multiple providers and providing consumers "tailored" recommendations. asserted
70 → allege → recommendations
Loading..."In reality, consumers' inquiries were (allegedly) sold to the highest-bidding broker," Mr Kirkland said. uncertain
Kirkland → load → broker
With Australians already struggling with cost-of-living pressures and stubborn inflation, the court actions are a warning shot across the bow to the price comparison platform market. asserted
actions → struggle → market
"We've got very strong laws in Australia against making false or misleading representations about the products that you provide to consumers," Mr Kirkland said. asserted
Kirkland → get → consumers
"Where we find comparison sites misleading consumers, we will take action. asserted
we → find → action
" Consumers must also be alert to service agreements to ensure they do not sign away their private data with a click. asserted
they → ensure → click
"Your information may not be used solely for the purpose of the comparison that you're seeking," Mr Kirkland said. uncertain
Kirkland → use → that
"Your personal details may be sold to another business, and you may then find yourself the subject of telemarketing calls or marketing emails as a result of your information being sold on." uncertain
information → sell → result
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