The Securities Division of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions has received a complaint concerning a group that had claimed an association with the website www.tradingview.com, an analytical platform and social network for traders. The complainant alleged that parties contacted him and offered to connect him with “brokers” who would assist him with trading via websites that were presented as trading platforms. These websites included directfx-platform.com, celestianassetscharts.com, and cfd.denalitrdgroupltd.com. None of these websites are now accessible, and two have been seized by authorities in New York as part of a criminal investigation.
The complainant transferred over $40,000 to a designated Bitcoin wallet to fund the trading. The complainant also paid over $500 for newsletter subscriptions, and has not received any return on his “investments.” The complainant has been unable to withdraw his funds.
The Division has not verified these allegations.
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of a Scam
DFI urges consumers to exercise extreme caution before responding to any solicitation offering investment advice or financial services. Investment professionals need to be licensed with DFI to offer investments to Washington residents. To check the licensing status and to find out if there are any complaints against an investment professional, please visit FINRA Brokercheck(https://brokercheck.finra.org).
How to Report
If you believe that you are aa victim of this alleged scam:
- Report it to the FBI
- If you are outside Washington State, contact your securities administrator
- If you are a resident of Washington State, file a complaint for statistical purposes