The AMF reminds retail investors to be extremely vigilant regarding Immediate Connect's fraudulent investment offer

The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) is continuing to receive a large number of complaints from retail investors about this fraudulent automated trading offer on Forex or in crypto-assets, following the appearance of new "clone" websites. The AMF had already warned the public on 23 June 2023 and then issued a joint warning with the Paris Public Prosecutor's office on 17 November 2023.

Many retail investors have reported to the AMF that they saw this offer on the Internet or social networks, relayed by advertisements using famous names from a wide variety of sectors (company directors, TV journalists, comedians, singers, sports personalities, influencers, etc.) and well-known news websites, or in articles purporting to be sourced from major national daily newspapers. These articles reported on alleged interviews with celebrities on a television programme who had inadvertently revealed the source of their wealth and extolled the merits of this offer.

After filling in their details on an online contact form, the interested parties were quickly contacted by a supposed financial adviser who encouraged them to register on an unauthorised trading platform to invest in the foreign exchange market (Forex), in crypto-assets such as bitcoin, or in crypto-assets derivatives. But often, when they tried to collect their alleged gains, they were asked to first pay a "capital gains tax".

The personal data collected by fraudsters can be circulated for a second fraudulent purpose: the refund scam. Investors who have already fallen victim to a scam are contacted by an unknown person who most often claims to be mandated by a public authority and to have recovered the lost funds. The scammer claims that these will be returned to the investor on payment of certain sums.

To date, the losses declared to the AMF in connection with this offer amount to several hundred thousand euros.

Some of these new fraudulent websites have already been added to the AMF blacklists. Others are being investigated.

Addresses added to AMF blacklists:

graminator.net
immediate-avage.co
immediate-genesis.com
immediate-momentum.com
immediate-peak.com
immediatebitwave.com
immediateeuraxai.org
immediategranimator.ai
immediatneupro.ai
sandiegobraincare.com/?_lp
paulwchow.com/?_lp

Important reminders

The AMF points out that only firms authorised as investment services providers in the European Union are permitted to offer brokerage services, such as automated or non-automated trading on the Forex market or in crypto-assets derivatives. Moreover, only digital asset services providers (DASPs) registered with the AMF are authorised to offer the purchase and sale, trading of crypto-assets, custody or a trading plateform for crypto-assets to the French public via promotional communications.

Before making any investment, the AMF urges investors to adopt certain due diligence rules:

Be wary of unrealistic promises from trading websites that guarantee quick profits;
Avoid the Forex market, the unregulated currency market, where the risks of a loss of capital exceeding the sum invested are very high;
Check that the company is authorised to offer financial services and is not on one of the AMF’s blacklists.

For further information:

If you have any questions, you can contact AMF Epargne Info Service by telephone on +33(0) 1 53 45 62 00 from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. (local call charges apply) or by filling in the form
AMF Protect Epargne: https: //protectepargne.amf-france.org/

About the AMF
The AMF is an independent public authority responsible for ensuring that savings invested in financial products are protected and that investors are provided with adequate information. The AMF also supervises the orderly operations of markets. Visit our website https://www.amf-france.org/en