Italy’s CONSOB orders blocking of four unauthorized investment websites
Italy’s Companies and Exchange Commission (CONSOB) has ordered the blocking of access to four new websites that offer financial services illegally.
In issuing the orders, the Authority availed itself of the powers deriving from the “Decreto crescita” (“Growth Decree”; Law no. 58 of 28 June 2019, Article no. 36, paragraph 2-terdecies), on the basis of which Consob can order Internet service providers to block access from Italy to websites offering financial services without the proper authorization.
The websites targeted by Consob’s orders are:
- FCapital24 (sito internet https://fcapital24.org);
- Multibank Group (website https://multibankfx.com and related page https://my.multibankfx.com);
- Stocket (website www.stocket.me);
- TGFInvest (website www.tgfinvest.com and related page https://my.fxmt.tech/platforms).
The number of websites blacked out since July 2019, when Consob got the power to order that the websites of fraudulent financial intermediaries be blacked out, has thus risen to 1134.
The measures adopted by Consob can be consulted on the website www.consob.it. The implementation of the blocking of these websites is ongoing. For technical reasons, it can take several days for the black-out to come into effect.
Consob draws investors’ attention to the importance of adopting the greatest diligence in order to make informed investment choices. For websites that offer financial services, it is important to check in advance that the operator with whom you are investing is authorized, and, for offers of financial products, that a prospectus has been published.
To this end, Consob would remind you that on the website www.consob.it there is a section on the homepage, “Watch for Scams!”, providing useful information to warn investors against financially abusive initiatives.