How it works
The lure
An online ad with a famous face, a new online friend, or a WhatsApp “investment club”.1
The “adviser”
A friendly account manager calls and helps you open an account.
The fake screen
Your balance grows every day. It is only numbers on a screen.
The wall
Withdrawals are blocked until you pay a “tax”, “fee” or “insurance”.
How AI makes it worse
The FBI now records AI in its complaints. Investment fraud is the costliest scam type involving AI.2
What the evidence says
- People aged 60 and over reported about $7.7 billion in losses to the FBI in 2025, more than any other age group.3
Warning signs
- Guaranteed or very high returns.
- Pressure to invest quickly.
- An adviser asks to control your computer or phone.
- You pay in crypto, at a crypto machine, or to a personal account.
Protect yourself
- Check the company on your financial regulator’s warning list.
- Never let a stranger control your computer or phone.
- A real platform never asks you to pay to get your money out.
See a demonstration
Demonstration coming soon
A fake trading platform, explained
Walk through a fake dashboard and see how the “profits” are made up.
Advice on this page follows official guidance from the sources below.