Italy’s Companies and Exchange Commission (CONSOB) has ordered the blocking of 32 websites that offer financial services without the necessary authorization.

The list of websites targeted by the latest CONSOB orders includes:

• “Fxcalle”
• “Fint-xpert” (website www.fint-xpert.com);
• “Primevaultfx” (website https://primevaultfx.com);
• “Trade-zonex” (website https://trade-zonex.com);
• “Bravonexmarkets” (website https://bravonexmarkets.com);
• “Avantcapitaltrade” (website https://avantcapitaltrade.com);
• “alchemyxmarkets” (website https://alchemyxmarkets.com);
• “Capibullmarket” (website https://capibullmarket.com);
• “Truenorthoptions” (website https://truenorthoptions.com);
• “Skylinefx” (website https://skylinefx.co);
• “Oxelvian” (websites: https://oxelvian.it, https://oxelvian.net, https://oxelvian.io, https://oxelvian.tech and https://oxelvian-it.net);
• “Eryxavin” (websites https://eryxavin.net, https://eryxavin.org and https://eryxavinit.com);
• “Kapidex Nx” (websites https://kapidexnx.net and https://kapidexnx);
• “Entratezza” (websites https://entratezza.com and https://entratezza-ia.com);
• “Fortunezza” (websites https://fortunezza.com and https://fortunezza.org);
• “Frame 2U Avapro” (websites https://frame-2u-avapro.com and https://frame-2u-avapro.org);
• “Valoranco” (websites https://valoranco.com and https://valoranco.org);
• “Rango Opularis” (websites https://rangoopularis.net, https://rangoopularis.com, https://rangoopularis-ai.com and https://rango-opularis.com).

This brings the total number of websites blocked by Consob since July 2019 to 1,654. Of these, 168 relate to crypto-asset-related activities.

In issuing the orders, CONSOB exercised the powers conferred to it by the “Growth Decree” and the MiCAR framework (EU Regulation and Legislative Decree No 129/2024).

Internet service providers operating in Italy are currently taking steps to block these websites. For technical reasons, the actual blocking may take a few days.

It is important that investors exercise the utmost diligence in making fully informed investment decisions, adopting common-sense practices that are essential for safeguarding their savings: among these, checking in advance, for websites offering investment services and crypto-assets, that the operator through which one is investing is authorized and, for offers of financial products and crypto-assets, that the prospectus or white paper has been published.

Consob also draws attention to the evolving nature of deceptive practices that exploit the internet to steal users’ money and personal data: there has been an increase in the use of new tools, such as emails and ‘cloned’ websites, fake profiles of politicians and celebrities, and content generated using artificial intelligence systems – such as images, voices or videos – with the aim of inducing investors to make harmful investment decisions.