No, there is no such thing as investments with guaranteed and miraculous benefits
Personalities praise the merits of an incredible financial investment? Invited to join a WhatsApp group for exclusive financial advice? Remember that there is no such thing as investments that are too good to be true!
Whether it is the RTBF presenters Fanny Jandrain or Justine Katz, the Prime Minister Bart De Wever or the Governor of the National Bank of Belgium, Pierre Wunsch, all have been victims of identity theft with the aim of extracting money from citizens via fraudulent investment platforms.
Scammers always use the same technics: they use the codes of the press (fake newspaper articles, fake testimonials, fake video clips,...) and claim that the existence of financial platforms offering impressive gains is hidden from the general public. But you're very lucky: you can subscribe to it if you act quickly! Scammers thus play on rarity and urgency. Interested parties can obviously register in a very (too) simple way.
If you look at the pages more closely, you will find out that the comments and profiles that comment are fakes.
Fraudulent WhatsApp groups
Recently, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) also mentioned another phenomenon of this kind: the upsurge in reports concerning WhatsApp groups in which scammers share "exclusive" investment advice.
"While surfing social media (often Facebook or Instagram), consumers come across ads for WhatsApp groups that would share exclusive financial market analysis as well as lucrative investment advice. These advertisements are frequently posted on pages fraudulently using the name and logo of banks or recognized press services," the FSMA explains.
WhatsApp groups are run by people posing as economists, or even personalities from the academic world. They try to convince consumers to download fake apps. "In these WhatsApp groups, consumers are encouraged to participate in lotteries. The aim is, in all likelihood, to steal their personal data. Consumers are also encouraged to buy certain U.S.-listed stocks. The aim here seems to be to manipulate the price of these shares — a mechanism known as "pump and dump", the FSMA says.
Victim? What to do?
Have you joined a WhatsApp group like this? Leave it as soon as possible and block the administrator's number. "Do not follow investment advice and do not download the apps promoted in these WhatsApp groups. Not only are the investments made via these applications completely false, but they can also be used to install malware," warns the FSMA.
If you have transferred money to a platform, contact your bank immediately, report it to the FSMA and file a complaint with the Local Police. To do this, collect all the evidence: message exchanges, screenshots of transactions, account statements,...
Also beware of the "recovery room" scam. It consists of trapping the victim of a first anarch a second time by offering to help him recover his money.
Anyway, before making any investments, never rush and do your research! Remember, what's too good to be true is a scam...
Do you have any doubts about the reliability of a company? You can consult the "Check your supplier" page on the FSMA website.