Binary Options Trading Economic Calendar

Home / Cybercrime Alerts / Fake profiles on social media lure people into “investing” in Binary Options

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How does the scam work?

Fraudsters are setting up fake profiles on popular social media websites and making out they are successful Binary Options or Forex Traders.

To draw victims into investing the scammers post photos posing in exclusive locations, supercars and flashing high end watches. They have also been known to post “testimonials” which show fake messages from happy customers.

The fraudsters offer victims the chance to “invest” by sending money via bank or money transfer for a “cut of the profits”. They usually ask for £100-£200 and claim they can make it into £1,000 or £2,000, but in reality just take the money and never trade it.

From the reports made to Action Fraud 33% of victims are aged less than 30 years old and 9% under the age of 20, which is extremely unusual in investment fraud. When victims become suspicious and ask for their money back, they are instantly blocked on social media. No money has ever been recovered.

In some cases victims lose out twice, as they’re told their trading has been successful and are asked to send more money to invest or to send a fee to release the profit they’ve supposedly made.

How to protect yourself

Be suspicious of any approach via social media as no reputable brokers would do this.

Do not give out personal or financial details and never agree to anything or send money upfront, without making your own enquires into the company or individual first.

Introduction Binary Options Trading Economic Calendar

  • ► 2022
    • ► January
      • Portugal - Cyber attacks on organisations rose 81% in 2021 Check Point
      • ► June
        • Cybercrime Complaints Increased 182% in 2020
        • CTT Issues Alert over false emails using their name - Phishing attempt
        • ► July
          • Cybersecurity incidents rise 101% in the 1st semester to 689 - CNCS
          • EUROPOL- ILLEGAL STREAMING SERVICE WILL 2 MILLION VIEWERS WORLD WIDE SWITCHED OFF
          • Cybersecurity alerts more than double to 138 in March
          • Secure Video Conferencing
          • Cybercrimes committed in Portugal have multiplied exponentially since the beginning of the covid-19
          • EDP admits to being the target of a computer attack on its corporate network.
          • Covid 19 Tips to avoid being scammed in purchasing items
          • UK Tax warning - Fake HMRC Letters being sent to university students
          • Phishing attempt in the name of FBE IC3
          • ► December
            • Eighty Five users of Remote Hacking Tool (IM-RAT) targeted across Europe, Colombia and Australia
            • Beware fake WeTransfer emails
            • US and UK bust one of the worst cyber banking hacks in a decade, charging Russians in multi-million dollar scheme
            • New email scam targeting Netflix members seeks to steal personal information of the company’s subscriber
            • Sexual offences against children on the Internet increased 40% between January and October
            • Hundreds of millions of phone numbers linked to Facebook accounts have been found on-line
            • McAfee - Experts warn proud parents not to post photos of children online
            • Hackers put "monitoring implants" on iPhones for years
            • Combatting Fake News on Social Media in Portugal
            • BEWARE EMAIL SCAM IN THE NAME OF FINANCES (TAX AND CUSTOMS AUTHORITY) CURRENTLY IN OPERATION
            • Chinese police install secret surveillance app on tourist’s mobile phones
            • Keeping your WordPress website safe
            • Gang of fraudsters jailed for 43 years following a Metropolitan Police investigation
            • Portugal is the 2nd country in the world most affected by spam and phishing
            • Refund scams in the name of HMRC
            • 42% of used hard drives sold on eBay still contain sensitive data
            • Sextortion attempt using the name of the CIA.
            • Holiday makers warned to avoid fraudulent flight ticket sellers as they use new tactics
            • Threatening emails accusing you watching pornographic material and demanding payment
            • ► December
              • New Facebook bug exposed millions of photos
              • Marriott Hotel Group - Massive data breach
              • Phishing email in the name of Barclays Bank - Important information: How to avoid fraudsters over the festive season
              • Scams in the name of DHL
              • Festive Shopping Fraud
              • Phishing email (Nigerian Scam) in name of Fonancial Management and Advisory Services Limited,¡
              • Phishing Email - in name of Ibrahim Mustafa Magu.
              • Black Friday and Cyber Monday
              • Chinese spying chips found hidden in servers used by US companies
              • Bequest notification
              • Executive Council concludes Macau cybersecurity law
              • Alert - Cyber Criminals send Victims their own passwords in New Extortion Scam
              • Email deactivation Phishing Scam in the name of Gogle
              • Beware the email purportedly from Lloyds Bank
              • Action Fraud reports show £6.7 million lost to holiday booking fraud
              • Scam in the name of Central Bank of Nigeria
              • Happy Valentines Day - But Beware Romance Fraud
              • Inheritance Opportunity with Genuine Intentions Hoax
              • International Lottery Yearly Draw scam
              • HMRC Tax scam warning
              • Facebook rolls out new Facial Recognition system that will tag you in photos you don’t know exist
              • Britons lose millions in online 'get rich quick' schemes
              • ► December
                • Privacy fears raised over internet-enabled Christmas presents given to children
                • Worst Least Secure Passwords of 2017
                • Nigerian scam from a Linda Johnson Consultant
                • Google phishing scam
                • Travel companies being targeted through on-line fraud
                • Fake modelling jobs advertised online and through social media
                • Cybercrime | Most common UK online offences
                • Warning over fake eBay invoice email that could steal your bank account details
                • Equifax hack: 44 million Britons' personal details feared stolen in major US data breach
                • Man Given 3-Month Prison Sentence for ‘Liking’ a Photo on Facebook
                • Dating fraud victims are being targeted again
                • Cybercrime, the legal challenge of the technical revolution
                • Lloyd's says cyber-attack could cost $120bn, same as Hurricane Katrina
                • GoldenEye' cyber attack goes global, exploits known code flaws
                • Cyber-attack on parliament leaves MPs unable to access emails
                • Rogue travel agent jailed for defrauding customers
                • Phishing attack in the name of Google Inc
                • Alert: Fraudsters claiming to be from HMRC
                • Greater Manchester Police warn of fraudulent online fundraising pages
                • Can We Ever be Prepared for the Next WannaCry?
                • Phishing Attack in the name of Banco Santander Totta
                • WannaCry ransomware used in widespread attacks all over the world
                • Judicial Police investigating four cases believed connected to "Blue Whale" game
                • Face Top 10 Concert list may be a security risk
                • Social media game “Blue Whale” arrives in Portugal – PSP gives advice to parents
                • Scam in the name of DHL delivery notification
                • Fraudsters are emptying bank accounts by diverting calls and text messages
                • "Security forces should improve online patrolling to detect and prevent crime"
                • Fraudulent Airbnb listings on the rise
                • Airbnb scammers are robbing homes by pretending to be users with great reviews
                • Credit card stealing malware: 1200 InterContinental hotels breached
                • Facebook – Easy way to steal your identity and access your accounts
                • Portugal arrests - Global action tackles distribution of child sexual exploitation images via WhatsApp
                • Portugal made eight thousand requests to Facebook, Google and Microsoft to fight cybercrime
                • Portugal: Phishing attacks increase using fraudulent bank websites.
                • Wonga Data Breach affects 245,000 people
                • Has your Gmail account been hacked?
                • New law dictates information security rules for business in Europe
                • Beware fake HMRC tax rebate scams
                • Spam and scam emails
                • Over 85% of Smart TVs can be hacked
                • Sexting and cyberbullying targeted by UK Government
                • Fraud emails in the name of HSBC
                • Friend or foe? Over 200 reports of ‘friendly’ fraudster email scam in three days
                • Windows identity theft scam
                • Phishing attack using the name BBC News
                • Portuguese Tax authority warn of fake email scam
                • ABTA travel website hit by cyberattack feared to have affected 43,000
                • Sr. Diego De Martinez of Portugal fake cancer scam
                • Phishing attack in the name of Microsoft
                • Facebook cloning
                • Fraudulent text messages in the name of Santander
                • Sensitive US Air Force data found exposed online
                • Cybercriminals Hijack Magento Extension to Steal Card Data
                • Computer and bank fraud case involves losses of €400,000
                • PJ arrest suspect of cheating 13 thousand people of 15 million euros
                • UK - Identity Fraud reaches record levels
                • "Hackers" attack computers at Portugal's National Defence Institute
                • Cybercrime was the most investigated type of crime in the region of Lisbon in 2016
                • Recently discovered ransomware attacks in Portugal
                • Australian Embassy issues alert over fraudulent employment scams
                • Non- existent jobs in Portugal offered by scammers
                • Cold callers fraudsters using background music to convince people call is genuine
                • Google Shares Data on Corporate Email Attacks
                • Travellers warned after surge in ‘fake’ booking websites for holiday villas
                • Beware in booking holidays through Airbnb
                • Facebook scammers are copying users' names, profile pictures and statuses to steal their money
                • Two thirds of European children afraid to use the internet
                • Cybersecurity: Queen to open centre to protect against attacks
                • UK faces 60 serious cyberattacks every minute security chief says amid Russian threats
                • Two-thirds of European children are afraid to use the Internet
                • Alert for UK tax payers - HMRC and Apple gift card fraud
                • Weak passwords are still the root cause of data breaches
                • Facebook started filtering fake news in Germany
                • Europol Awareness campaign on on-line counterfeiting
                • Social media being used to elicit donations to fake animal welfare charities
                • Ransomware expected to dominate in 2017
                • Fake Amazon emails claim you have placed an order
                • ► December
                  • Yahoo hack: 1bn accounts compromised by largest data breach in history
                  • ALERT – Watch out for Facebook Marketplace Fraud
                  • Sophisticated Fraud involving bank letters
                  • Fraudulent emails in name of Tax Authority demanding Via Verde toll payments
                  • Fraud and cybercrime cost UK nearly £11bn in past year
                  • Phishing Alert – Portuguese Banks
                  • Major Breakthrough in preventing uploading, storage and sharing of child abuse images
                  • China Registry Domain name scam
                  • Yahoo confirms 'state-sponsored' personal data hack of 500m accounts
                  • Action Fraud UK warns of fraudulent anti-fraud warnings posing as Action Fraud
                  • 5,300 Wells Fargo employees fired over 2 million phony accounts
                  • Hajj fraud
                  • Nigerian scam in the name of Gen. Abdullah Ayyoub
                  • Fake profiles on social media lure people into “investing” in Binary Options
                  • Beware of fraudsters on social media stock markets
                  • Phishing attack in the name of Windows
                  • Smartphones will become the number one target for cyber criminals within five years, according to police and security experts.
                  • Phishing attack in the name of the FBI
                  • Nigerian scam in the name of Skoda Hanza
                  • Online dating fraud cost victims £27 million last year
                  • Valentines Day Scams
                  • British Commonwealth National Card Scam
                  • UK Royal Mail UK parcel scam involving overseas post
                  • Property Rental for research group scam in the name of William Frank
                  • Beware this domain name scam originating from China.
                  • ► December
                    • Phishing attack aimed at "cpanels" on websites
                    • Victims defrauded after booking on fake holiday websites
                    • Fraudsters could hack your bank account if you use public WIFI to check balance
                    • Black Friday and Cyber Monday Cybercrime Alert
                    • Customer credit card and bank details may have been compromised in TalkTalk cyber attack
                    • Phishing attack - Windows based servers
                    • Cybercrime Survey reveals 20% believe they were specifically targeted by fraudsters
                    • Fraud and cybercrime are the most prevalent crimes committed against people in England and Wales.
                    • Massive new phishing attack has targeted several Portuguese banks
                    • EU Business Register 2015/16 Scam
                    • Cybercriminal hacked victim’s webcams and spied on them having sex
                    • Scam in the name of Microsoft Corporation.
                    • Apps that tell you who is digging into your personal information
                    • PayPal Scam
                    • Malware attack in the name of City of London Police
                    • World Rugby 2015 Scams
                    • Carphone Warehouse Hacked- 2.4 Million Customers at Risk
                    • Benjamin Basha Nigerian Scam
                    • Phishing attacked in the name of US Treasury Dept
                    • Student Accommodation Fraud Alert
                    • Scam tricks Facebook users into hacking themselves
                    • On-line Parcel Delivery Scams
                    • Malware attack in the name of Linkedin
                    • Hackers threaten to expose 37.5million cheaters who use adultery site Ashley Madison
                    • Spam emails drop as hackers alter tactics
                    • Major new campaign reveals growing threat from identity fraud
                    • Algarve - Scam in the name of Gracy, Ricardo and Liliana Biss
                    • Europol - Major Cybercrime Ring Dismantled by Joint Investigation Team.
                    • 533 reports of Ticket Fraud received in June relating to Gigs, Concerts and Sporting Events
                    • Lottery Phishing attack in the name of Coca-Cola
                    • Toll Road Malware Attack
                    • Court Appearance Malware Attack
                    • Massive holiday villa scam in Spain allegedly operated by a British couple
                    • Investment Phishing Scam in the name of Robert Lucas
                    • Banco Bancaja Phishing scam
                    • New iOS bug lets anyone crash your iPhone with one text message
                    • The number of people falling victim to identity theft in the UK has risen by almost a third, new figures suggest.
                    • Lottery Phishing Scam
                    • Nigerian scam in the name of Capt. John Kelly Afghanistan
                    • Nigerian Scam in the name of Gillian Bayford
                    • Scam - 2015 Worldwide Branding Registry of Distinguished Professionals and Executives
                    • Judicial Police arrest seven computer hackers in major operation
                    • Phishing attack in the name of DHL
                    • Scammers steal customer details from TalkTalk broadband and phone operator
                    • Dating Fraud up 33% in the UK
                    • Phishing attack National Lottery
                    • Phishing attack – Nigerian Fraud – Charitable Foundation
                    • Person identified selling credit card (ATM) skimmers on ebay
                    • Holiday Letting Fraud Alert
                    • Fraudsters pretending to be Police making cold calls in the UK
                    • Dating Fraud up 33% in the United kingdom
                    • ► February
                      • 419 (Nigeria) Scam - Mrs Debbie Anani
                      • Warning about fraudulent phone calls on behalf of Microsoft regarding Malicious Software installation
                      • ► February
                        • Cold callers pretending to be from Microsoft
                        • Phishing attack in the name of United Nations
                        • Phishing attack - Reward from the United Nations