The Financial Services and Markets Authority, or FSMA for short, says it has received complaints from consumers in recent weeks about new trading platforms active in the Belgian market that are considered fraudulent.
Victims are lured through fake advertisements on social media or online video platforms, and sometimes also through mobile applications. “In these fake ads, a (well-known) person often talks about a get-rich-quick method or project,” the FSMA says.
“After clicking on the ad or downloading the mobile app and filling in the contact details, scammers usually quickly contact victims with a concrete investment proposal.”
WhatsApp and Telegram
“Other trading platforms contact consumers via dating apps and fake social media accounts. Many trading platforms also use groups on WhatsApp and Telegram.
“Scammers also try to convince victims to invest increasingly larger amounts. They claim that only one additional payment is needed to release their money. This is a tactic to extract more money from their victims.”
After a while, victims no longer hear from the platform in which they invested their money. They lost the transferred amount.
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