#investment-fraud
5 questions tagged with #investment-fraud
Think I've been hit by a 'clone firm' – any hope getting money back from scam brokers?
Okay, so I feel like a complete idiot right now. I was looking into investing a bit of my savings, nothing huge, just wanted to try and grow it a little. I found this broker online, seemed legit, their website looked really professional, even mentioned they were regulated by the FCA. They even gave me an account manager who called regularly. I deposited about 5k EUR back in March. Fast forward to last week, I tried to withdraw a small amount – just to test it out, you know? And bam, all these fees suddenly pop up. 'Tax fees', 'AML compliance fees', 'transfer insurance'. They want another 1.5k EUR before I can even touch my money. My gut said no way, so I did some digging. Turns out, the *actual* FCA-regulated firm they claimed to be has a warning on their site about a 'clone firm' mirroring their details, even using similar domain names. I think I fell for it. Has anyone dealt with these clone scams before? Is there *any* way to claw back funds deposited by bank transfer from Ireland to some random Eastern European bank account? I'm honestly so stressed out.
Lost my crypto on SBlock-Trade, is there any chance for recovery or am I completely out of luck?
I'm feeling so gutted right now. I put a significant amount of my savings into what I thought was a legitimate crypto trading platform called SBlock-Trade (sblocktrade.tech). Everything looked professional, and the returns were, frankly, too good to be true, which I realize now was a huge red flag. I connected my wallet and made several deposits over a few weeks. When I tried to withdraw a larger sum, they just stonewalled me. First, they asked for more 'tax' payments, then 'high liquidity fees,' and now my account is frozen, and I can't even log in. Their website seems to be down intermittently too. I've reported it to my local authorities, but I don't hold much hope. Has anyone faced something similar with SBlock-Trade or a platform like it? Is there even a glimmer of hope that any of my crypto could be recovered, or should I just accept this as an expensive lesson?
I'm in Australia and fell for an investment scam through someone I met on social media. Where do I report this?
I'm feeling so lost and embarrassed right now. I met someone really charming on Instagram a few months ago. We talked for weeks, and they seemed so genuine. Eventually, they started talking about this amazing crypto investment platform they were using. It all looked legit – I even saw some small returns initially. I ended up putting in a significant chunk of my superannuation and now the platform is gone, and so is the person. They've ghosted me completely. I'm based in Perth, Australia, and I don't even know where to begin reporting this. I've tried calling my bank, but they said because I authorized the transfers, there's little they can do. I've heard about things like ASIC here, but I'm not sure if this kind of 'social media to fake investment' scam falls under their purview or if there's a better place to start. Any advice on the proper channels for reporting in Australia, and what kind of information I should prepare, would be really appreciated. I just want to stop this from happening to someone else.
Lost my savings to a fake crypto investment introduced by someone online. What are the best reporting steps for a Canadian?
I'm feeling so numb right now. I met someone on Instagram a few months ago, and we really hit it off. They seemed so genuine, we messaged constantly, and eventually, it turned into something more serious, or so I thought. They started talking about this amazing crypto investment platform, showing me how much they were making. I was hesitant at first, but with their encouragement and the 'guaranteed' returns, I put in a significant portion of my life savings. I even took out a small loan. Now, the platform is gone, they've blocked me, and all my money is just... vanished. I feel so stupid and embarrassed. I've reported it to my bank, but they said it's hard to get crypto back. Is there anything else I can do in Canada? Who should I contact? I've heard about the FBI IC3 but I'm in Canada. Does that apply to me? I just want to know if there's any hope and what the best official steps are for reporting this kind of scam.
Is reporting to the CFTC useful for recovering funds from a fake investment platform scam?
Hey everyone, I'm David from Stuttgart. I recently got caught up in what I now realize was a classic 'pig butchering' scam. I put a significant amount of Bitcoin into an investment platform they recommended, which looked legitimate at first, even had fancy charts and everything. They promised insane returns, and of course, when I tried to withdraw, the platform locked my account and demanded more money for 'taxes' or 'fees'. It's all gone now, about 0.8 BTC. I've reported it to the local police here, but honestly, they seemed a bit out of their depth with crypto. Someone mentioned reporting to the CFTC since the scam involved futures/derivatives trading on their supposed platform. I'm wondering if anyone has had any success or even just experiences with reporting these kinds of crypto investment scams to the CFTC? Does it actually lead to any recovery, or is it more about building a case against the scammers for future action? Any advice would be appreciated. Feeling pretty distraught.