Fake brokers and trading platforms

A friendly “account manager” calls about your trading account. The profits look great — until you try to take money out.

What it looks like

How it usually ends

The gains were numbers on a screen. When you asked to withdraw, a 'release tax' appeared — then the account manager stopped answering.

Red flags

• Assigned 'account manager' you never asked for
• Unrealistic returns
• Provider not in the regulator's register

A real case

Operation Ghost Call shut down Tirana call centres in April 2026 that ran fake trading platforms in five languages; victims lost over €50M (Eurojust).

What to do

• Check the provider in your financial regulator’s register before investing.
• Never pay a fee or tax to release your own profits.
• Hang up on unsolicited investment calls, however friendly.

Could you spot it in the moment?

In Painted Sky you’re born at random somewhere on Earth and live a whole life — and this scam is one of the fakes that can find you. Make the call yourself, then replay the same life with a lens that shows what was fake.

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