The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) issued on Friday a warning notice about a new practice where unknown individuals pretend to be CySEC officers and improperly collect funds from Greek citizens. Different fake CySEC messages are in circulation and these messages have not been published or spread by the Commission.
The fraudsters, presenting themselves as Adam Theocharides and David Jenner-Clarke of the CySEC International Affairs Department, have been contacting Greek investors, claiming they need to pay taxes and other fees and convincing them to transfer funds to specific bank accounts.
The two men have used the email address [email protected], which the Commission warns is not related to the CySEC.
The regulator warned in the notice that it does not have a practice to contact individual investors and ask them to transfer money to bank accounts, or to provide it with bank details. It asks citizens to contact it via [email protected] in case they suspect they might have received a fake message that appears to be from the commission, especially if they are asked to transfer funds or make payments of any kind.
The CySEC, governed by a five-member board, registers and regulates financial companies operating in Cyprus, including forex and binary operations brokers. One of its departments, the International Relations one, is in charge of strategic planning, internal and external communication and promotion of the work of the CySEC, but its members do not collect any funds from investors. The commission does not authorize, verify, monitor, or assist in payments between entities agencies.
We strongly advise you to be cautious when it comes to providing personal and financial details.
Source: cysec.gov.cy
