Retired from Liège, Daniel is robbed of € 7,000 by wanting to invest in cryptocurrency: crooks relaunch it during our meeting

Increasingly in Belgians (increase in reports of 60% in one year) risk online investments on financial platforms which only serve as (sometimes well -made) facades to dark crooks based on where in theworld, and who do not lack audacity.Our witness of the day has a complete career at the National Bank of Belgium: despite everything, pushed by the desire to invest his savings in cryptocurrencies, he was fooled.A surprising meeting...

Despite our numerous articles and reports, despite the prevention of financial authorities and banks, more and more Belgians are victims of online scam.Not long ago, we mentioned the case of Francis, 50 years old and computer software developer, who lost 8.Euros on a false investment site in cryptocurrencies.

This week, it is Daniel's turn to confide in the writing of RTL Info, after contacting us via the orange button alert us."I got it '7.000 € on a platform where I was made to believe that I had won 18.000 € in two days ", he wrote to us.

We visited him in Saint-Nicolas (Liège), at his home.And everything did not go as planned...

They take control of his computer

Daniel has just celebrated his 62 years, and he is in early retirement plan, after having worked all his career at the National Bank of Belgium.His misadventure started in August, when he let himself be tempted by online investments."He had heard a lot about cryptocurrencies," said his wife.Very quickly, having little knowledge in this digital jungle, he found himself faced with crooks, without knowing it.There are hundreds of false sites, managed by so-called 'operators' which have only one goal: you take money.Accounts were created on several platforms, including LPL Finance and CFD Advanced:

On these platforms, he thought he was injecting a little money, which would grow very quickly.This is what we had promised him.To steal his money anonymously, the crooks convinced Daniel to create, at first, an account on Litebit, one of the (authentic) platforms allowing to transform euros into cryptocurrency (like bitcoin).We "credit" his account with, for example, a Belgian bank card and a digipass.

The crooks, pretending to be financial advisers on the site, only spoke English.Phone communication was therefore delicate.They then have as a daring process to use computer control software, remotely (Anydesk, very practical, moreover, if we know who we have to do)."I don't speak English.They called me via the phone, but as I did not understand, they took control of my computer and wrote in Google Translate, and it translated directly ".

Daniel follows the instructions, and loses thousands of euros in two days

Having control of his computer, the crooks told Daniel to credit his Litebit account.Remotely, by phone and by text, they make him take his Belgian bank card and his digipass.Daniel "loads" his account:

Then, the crooks sent the sums, literally using themselves via this same platform, they transferred the money to their virtual cryptocurrency portfolio, which has the advantage of leaving no trace, and beingcompletely anonymous.

At this point, Daniel is lost.He does not understand what is going on, thinking to be helped by 'operators'."It's a gear, it's a financial blackmail at the same time.I was as immersed, I was under a bell, I spent hours on the computer trying to understand.They told me that if I did not make new payments, I lost everything.In total, it was 7.Euros that left.I credited my account, and they retained directly.In two days ... "

Time to understand and realize what was really going on, it was too late.Our young retiree had been plucked.

Daniel contacted banking intermediaries, but "I was told that I had validated all transactions, that they saw neither scam nor fraud.It was on the account (crooks), it was over, "he explains, disappointed, still in shock.He blocked his credit card in stride.He is not yet going to the police, but he thinks about it.

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Aigue polyarthritis

Daniel admits it: "I fell ill".This loss first has direct consequences on the couple's financial situation."I had gathered money to fill my retirement early departure.To save my month, I had to borrow 5.Euros.And that put my health in the air.Every day, it takes me by the throat, I have flash, it goes back to my head: 'why I clicked, why did I take my cards, why I validated?'I do not know…"

Physically too, our witness has suffered."I have a crisis of acute polyarthritis, and I'm still being treated for that.I couldn't wear anything anymore, I was in pain everywhere.My doctor told me it was because of that ".His wife confirms that everything has happened suddenly, suddenly.

"Mentally, I try to straighten myself, but when I think about that, it annoys me really very strong".We understand it..."Besides, every day I send it bird names, so I don't understand how I could let myself have at that point.It is a gear, it was I who validated everything, so it would have been enough for me to stop, that I hang up, that I cut everything.But when we tell you 'you lose everything if you don't continue' ... I thought there ".

New scammers want to help him during our report

Ironically fate: while Daniel connects to fraudulent platforms to show us, the crooks undoubtedly notice his online presence and call him, on several occasions, to make him believe that they were going to help himget your money back.

We take the call (in English to help Daniel), and the person on the phone tries to convince us, saying working for the blockchain site.com, pretending to be the cryptocurrency regulator.We cut short the conversation, amazed in front of so much manipulation and impunity:

The Belgian Financial Markets Authority had reported one of the sites used by Daniel

The FSMA (Authority for Financial Services and Markets) is very well known."We advise people victims of fraud to be doubly vigilant, because we see that these people are, very often, contacted by other fraudsters, or by the same fraudsters.They will tell them that they can help them recover certain sums.And very often, there are costs to recover this sum ", but it is again a scam, reports Mathieu Saudoyer, from the communication service.

Recently, the FSMA has published new figures on the 'illicit offers of financial products and services', noting an increase in reports of 60% in one year ... The FSMA estimates that between "May 2019 and June 2021, Belgian consumers havelost 42 million euros on this type of fraudulent platform ".

"Very often, they are international networks that are behind all this, which complicates the recovery of funds at the judicial level.Money transits quickly via 'rebound accounts', difficult or impossible to trace without mobilizing international investigative means.

Some platforms are blocked, sometimes too late...

On the FSMA website, there is a list (not exhaustive, because there are constantly new ones that arise) of platforms considered fraudulent.One of those used by Daniel, CFD Advanced, is also reported.The FSMA indicates these websites of websites to justice, which alone has the capacity to block them on Belgian territory, to avoid new victims.But it is not always very fast: CFD Advanced has been listed since May 2021, and still active in October…

Last council of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers: "A few years ago, these platforms were quite amateur.But we now see that they have a very professional appearance.It is quite difficult to see what is authentic and what is not.We have an online test on the FSMA website for those who have a doubt, and it is also possible to contact us ".

We will end this atypical testimony with a wise conclusion from Daniel: "We must not touch that.We are always a loser, it's like a casino ".His wife confirms it: "I am skeptical.I will never give you my bank card.The money does not fall from the sky, it would be known.On the contrary, it is difficult to win.It is true that we talk a lot about bitcoins, that's probably why people think it's a miracle ".