BOLZANO. Online trading – or the buying and selling of financial instruments via the internet – continues to claim victims, especially among those who are unfamiliar with investments or are of a certain age. The latest case, told by Rebecca Berto, legal consultant in Bolzano of the European Consumer Center, concerns a citizen between 50 and 60 years old from Bassa Atesina. «A consumer came to us who explained that he was now ruined and had lost his life savings. We are talking about around 200 thousand euros.”
The victim of the scam stumbled upon a fake broker. It all started with a phone call from one
self-styled secretary who asked if he was interested in speaking with an expert, online trading professional. «Very intrigued, especially by the kind and calm manner of the secretary, the saver agreed to the proposal and listened carefully to what the so-called broker said. The latter convinced him to start for two reasons: he could start with a small sum of 250 euros and then he would be followed step by step by the fake broker and his so-called team of experts.”
The link to a fake platform: the yield went up.
Once the saver joined, he obtained a link to a fake platform where he noticed day by day that his “investment” was paying off and the sums were increasing. Then he obtained a first “down payment” of the amount invested: this credit convinced the saver to pay increasingly higher sums into foreign current accounts and also via cryptocurrencies.
«However, when he tried to obtain the capital, the fake broker began to make excuses: first – continues Berto – the saver was warned of alleged penalties to be paid or of alleged interventions by the investigative authorities against him». When the fake broker noticed that these excuses really didn’t hold up, he explained to the saver «that someone on his team had evidently worked badly so the entire capital had been lost. From that moment on there was no further contact between the parties.”
The elements common to this type of fraud.
The surrounding circumstances of the fraud may change but some constant elements remain. «Exactly: we are talking about an initial payment of small sums; of the promise of being followed step by step by a fake broker; of remote access: in fact, many savers are convinced to download apps for remote access on their computer or mobile phone in order to be helped to create digital wallets and transfer cryptocurrencies; of unsolicited contacts: scammers generally call completely unexpectedly, but contact can also take place on social media and online dating sites”