Abstract：FSMA alerts the public to growing WhatsApp scams using fake investment tips, identity theft, and fraudulent trading apps targeting investors on social media.
FSMA Warns of Rising WhatsApp Investment Scams
The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is raising the alarm over a surge in fraudulent WhatsApp groups promoting so-called “exclusive investment tips” and fake trading platforms. Despite previous warnings, the regulator continues to receive a growing number of reports from consumers who have fallen victim to these scams on social media.
According to the FSMA, fraudsters are using targeted advertisements on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to lure users into WhatsApp groups. These ads often impersonate well-known banks or financial news outlets, illegally using their names and logos to appear credible. Once users click on the ads, they are added to WhatsApp groups run by individuals posing as financial experts, economists, or CEOs—again, cases of identity theft.
Inside these groups, participants are urged to join raffles or lotteries, likely as a method to harvest personal information. They are also persuaded to invest in certain U.S.-listed shares, a tactic connected to “pump and dump” schemes meant to manipulate stock prices. In addition, the fraudsters promote counterfeit cryptocurrency trading apps through fake websites.
The FSMA has identified several fraudulent domains used in these schemes, including candriambel.com, harborconsult.com, saxoandroid.top, and schwbss.com. Many of these scams also involve fake mobile applications such as HarborFin, JP INVS, and SSB Pro, presented as legitimate trading tools.
Fraudsters behind these operations often falsely claim association with reputable financial service providers like JP Morgan, Saxo Bank, Appollo Global Management, and Candriam. The FSMA stresses that these authorized institutions have no connection with the WhatsApp groups or the fraudulent websites.
To combat the growing threat, the FSMA has added the identified websites and apps to its official list of companies operating unlawfully in Belgium. The authority urges investors to remain vigilant by verifying a company‘s credentials via the FSMA’s “Check your provider” tool before making any financial commitments.
Consumers who suspect fraud or doubt a providers legitimacy are encouraged to report their concerns directly to the FSMA through its official contact channels.
