Instagram, TikTok and Telegram are full of self-styled trading "gurus" showing off cars, watches and holidays, promising to teach followers their secret to guaranteed returns — usually through a paid course, a signals group, or a request to trade on your behalf.
A lavish lifestyle is presented as "proof" of trading success, often funded by the scam itself rather than genuine trading.
Followers are invited into a paid signals group or course, then encouraged to deposit funds into a specific platform — frequently one controlled by the scammer, where withdrawals become difficult or impossible.
Some versions ask victims to hand over trading control entirely, "managing" funds that are simply stolen outright.
Check whether anyone offering investment advice or managing money on your behalf is FCA authorised, using the register at register.fca.org.uk.
Be sceptical of any "proof" of returns shown only as screenshots — these are trivially easy to fabricate.
Never deposit funds into a trading platform you can't independently verify and withdraw from freely.
If you've lost money, report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk and to the FCA. Contact your bank promptly, as some transfers can be recalled if reported quickly enough.
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