Video courses › Planning: goals, retirement, common mistakes › Lesson 5

Recognising financial scams

The signs that recur in unauthorised offers, the checks to make before handing money to anyone and what to do if in doubt.

Video lesson in preparation (AI-generated presenter). Full text below.

Lesson text

Financial scams change shape, but the signs look alike. The first is the promise: high, safe and quick gains. The second is haste: "the offer ends today", "only a few places left". The third is unsolicited contact: a call, a message, an advert leading to an "adviser" you have never met. The fourth is the request to move money to foreign accounts, digital wallets or unknown platforms.

There is also a very common pattern: at first a small sum is requested, and a professional-looking platform shows gains that keep growing. Convinced, the person pays in more. When they try to withdraw, taxes or fees to be paid in advance appear, and then nothing. The gains shown on screen never existed. A second scam often follows, from someone promising to recover the lost money in return for a payment.

The most important check is a single one, and it is free: verify that whoever is offering an investment is authorised. In every country the supervisory authority publishes registers of authorised firms and warnings about unauthorised ones. A polished website, a licence number at the bottom of a page or a prestigious address prove nothing: they must be checked against the official register, found by yourself and not through the link supplied by the person making the offer.

Other simple rules: never give anyone remote control of your computer or phone; never share codes and passwords; do not let yourself be rushed; talk to someone you trust before paying. And if doubt comes afterwards, act at once: contact your bank, report it to the police and notify the supervisory authority. Shame is the scammers' best ally: it happens to people of every age and level of education.

In three points

• Typical signs: high and safe gains, haste, unsolicited contact, money sent to unknown accounts or platforms.
• The decisive check is to verify on the supervisory authority's official register that the firm is authorised.
• Never grant remote control of your devices; if in doubt, stop and ask; if it has happened, act at once and report it.

Educational and informational content only. It is not personalised financial, investment or tax advice. All investments involve risks, including the possible loss of invested capital.

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