Have you met someone on an online platform? Has that person invited you to continue your discussion via another channel like WhatsApp or Telegram? Has the person told you he or she has made a fortune and knows someone who can help you make money easily by investing in cryptocurrencies? Beware of scams, especially in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.
Some investment scams begin on dating applications (like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, etc.). After having made a match with their targets, the scammers continue the discussion via another online app. In some cases, the scam begins with a message from an unknown number, a follow request on Instagram or a friend request on Facebook. After developing a relationship with their victims, the fraudsters soon start to talk money. They boast of their so-called fortune and share their secret of getting rich quick and without risk: a trading platform.
Like the international organization IOSCO, which is running a campaign on this topic during the week of Valentine’s Day, the FSMA wishes once again to warn the public against this type of fraud. The warning of 10 October 2025, explains how this type of fraud works. Below you will find some advice on how to avoid falling into a trap.
How to avoid this kind of fraud
- Don’t let yourself be duped by someone who boasts of his or her wealth and regularly talks about money or investments. Be suspicious if the person is persistent and offers you an ‘investment opportunity’ with guaranteed returns via a specific trading platform.
- Never act in haste. If something doesn’t seem quite right or appears to be too good to be true, stop and take time to think about it. Never send money to someone whom you have only met online.
- If someone directs you to a trading platform, check that it holds an authorization from the FSMA. Also check the date when the website was created, for example via a site that allows you to perform a ‘Whois’ search. If you don’t understand the products or if the offer seems too complex, don’t invest.
- Avoid revealing too much personal information to your interlocutor, and above all, do not send copies of your identity documents or credit card. The scammers may use these documents to commit fraud. Protect your data on social media as well, by means of your confidentiality settings.
- Ignore any messages you receive from an unknown number. If you receive a new friend request, check the person’s identity. Artificial intelligence makes it easier to create fake profiles or fake videos. Don’t join any chat or trading groups to which you have been added without asking.
- As a rule, report these persons and suspicious activities on social media, dating sites or messaging apps.
What to do if you have been the victim of such a scam?
- Stop making any transactions and break off all contact with the fraudsters: don’t make any more payments and don’t provide any additional personal or financial information. Break off all contact with the fraudsters, including with the person who contacted you on the dating app or social media. They may try to manipulate you in order to take even more money from you.
- Contact your bank: Inform your bank immediately if you have made any payments to the fraudulent platform.
- Report the fraud to the competent authorities: contact the FSMA and file a complaint with the police.
- Document all exchanges of data and transactions: Gather all the evidence of your communications with the platform, including emails, messages, account statements and screen shots of the transactions. These items will be valuable when you report the fraud.
- Be wary of ‘recovery rooms’: fraudsters contact people who are already victims of a scam and offer to help them, for a fee, to recover their lost money. Often this constitutes yet another attempt at fraud.
To verify whether or not a provider of financial services and products is authorized by the FSMA or has been the subject of a warning, please visit the website of the FSMA.
Does the company hold an authorization? Check that the authorization has not lapsed and be on your guard against identity theft, known as 'cloned firms'. If an entity is not listed on the website of the FSMA, this means it is not authorized to offer such products in Belgium.
Is the company named in a warning? In that case, you should under no circumstances respond to an offer they have made to you. But please note: the list of fraudulent companies provided on the FSMA’s website is not exhaustive.
For more information, please consult the ‘How to recognize and avoid fraud’ page on the FSMA website. The site provides additional tips to help you avoid investment fraud. Please watch our awareness-raising videos as well (available in French and Dutch only).