This week, Italy’s financial regulator Consob revealed it has ordered the blackout of five websites found to be offering unauthorised financial services or conducting illegal advertising campaigns for unlicensed brokerage platforms.
Italy’s Consob Blocks 5 Websites
The sites affected include four illegal financial intermediaries and one website promoting an unregistered brokerage platform, Consob said in a statement.
The move brings the total number of blacklisted sites to 1,252 since July 2019, when the regulator was given the authority to block financial websites it deems as fraudulent under the “Growth Decree” and the recently introduced “Capital Act.”
The latest blacklisted sites are:
- Guru4Invest (www.guru4invest.com)
- Sectorcapitals.com (www.sectorcapitals.com)
- Aifactor Group (https://vipaifactorvip.com)
- Apollo Trade FX – Affidabiletop.com (www.apolloinvestfx.com and related pages)
The firm added that the blackout process is ongoing, with internet service providers in Italy working to restrict access to the sites. However, Consob noted that implementation may take several days.
The regulator urged investors to exercise caution when dealing with online financial services and to verify authorisations before investing.
