FSMA Impersonation Alert: Scammers Target Fraud Victims with Fake Recovery Schemes

The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) of Belgium has issued a public warning regarding fraudulent actors who are usurping its name, logo, and the identity of other financial supervisors. Scammers are deploying these deceptive tactics to mislead consumers, particularly targeting individuals who have previously fallen victim to investment fraud. According to the FSMA, this operation is a classic recovery room scam. Fraudsters contact victims offering bogus assistance to unblock or recover lost funds. To proceed with the supposed recovery, the scammers instruct victims to pay upfront compensation, transfer money under the guise of taxes, or even settle fictitious fines purportedly issued by the FSMA. A key actor highlighted in the alert is a phantom operation named Protectionline, operating via the website protectionline.net. Protectionline reaches out to investment fraud victims claiming it can recover their lost capital. Victims are directed to submit compensation claims that allegedly require FSMA approval. They are then redirected to fraudulent clone websites designed to mimic the official FSMA portal, including regulatory-legal.systems, regulatory-payout.systems, and regulatory-transfer.systems. None of these domains have any affiliation with the actual regulator. Additionally, the FSMA warned that its logo is frequently placed on unauthorized websites to fabricate the appearance of official licensing. The regulator identified several fraudulent email addresses used in these schemes, including [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. The FSMA explicitly stated that it never initiates unsolicited contact with consumers, does not demand payments or taxes, and has no legal mandate to recover lost investments on behalf of individuals. The authority will never ask for sensitive credentials, such as bank card PINs or account passwords. All legitimate communications from the FSMA originate exclusively from the official domain fsma.be, with legitimate phone numbers beginning with +32 (0)2 220 XX XX. Anyone receiving unsolicited communications from these fake domains or addresses should not reply and immediately delete the messages.