The French lost 4.5 billion euros due to Internet fraud
“Would you like to invest 20,000 euros for only 100 euros? learn the secrets of the bonus. »; "Trade gold and get a bonus up to 5000 euros"; “Invest in diamonds. "Aggressive advertising, making people believe that they are a slumbering trader and effortlessly manipulate miraculous profits, is exploding on the Internet, including on consumer sites. And now for Ligue 1 football shirts: five major clubs (PSG, Saint-Etienne, Monaco, OGK Nice, Olympique Lyon) have established partnerships with forex sites.
People are increasingly succumbing to the temptation of easy money, and savings bring almost nothing. Authorized sites, since they are regulated by some European authorities, mainly in Cyprus, but with extremely aggressive and questionable commercial practices, coexist on the network with illegal sites associated with "organized crime" and which are growing rapidly: financial markets (AMF) identified 380 against 4 in 2010!
As a result, the stolen amounts are dizzying: at least 4.5 billion euros over six years, the Paris prosecutor Francois Molin calculated. “This figure exceeds carbon VAT fraud,” he adds. A scam that cost the French state almost 2 billion euros in 2008-2009. How many people have been victims of these scam sites?
Few victims file complaints either because they hope to get their share back or because the money invested eluded the tax authorities
At the moment, the Paris prosecutor's office is investigating only about fifty cases involving 500 victims. The number, of course, is growing, but it is very small compared to the embezzled amounts. “It is difficult to calculate the number of victims,” explains François Molin. Many individuals do not file a complaint against the latter for two main reasons: either they have not yet realized that they have been deceived and are still hoping to get their bet back, or the amounts invested on these trading floors have been hidden from the tax authorities. .
New fraud schemes, more and more sophisticated
Most sites offer individuals to invest in Forex, the unregulated foreign exchange market and binary options. Since the imagination of scammers is limitless, other scams are emerging, more and more sophisticated. Atypical investments (jewelry, diamonds, rare earths), which are supposed to bring in big money, also thrive. Just like loan offers “get a loan from 500 to 1,000,000 euros in 48 hours” or loan revisions that are on the wave of low interest rates. In this case, the approach of individuals is more cautious (more than 500 Facebook pages have been opened in the last three months), but the evil is just as formidable, as some victims have lost up to 100,000 euros! How? Sites ask them to pay fees before the money is unlocked. Which of course is prohibited. There is also a growing number of websites posing as regulators, such as the Banque de France and ACPR.
Faced with this dangerous avalanche, the Financial Markets Authority (AMF), ACPR, the banking and insurance regulator, the Anti-Fraud Office (DGCCRF) and the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office are joining forces today to sound the alarm in the face. the dangers of all these places. More than ever, people should be wary of investments that promise rewards that are too good to be true.
For your peace of mind, we have compiled a complete list of unscrupulous brokers.
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