Fraudulent contacts reported are typically made through social networks, phone calls, WhatsApp messages, or emails, under the guise of offering financial intermediation services or proposing investment opportunities, according to a statement on the regulator’s website.
The CMVM warns recipients of such contacts that they “should not automatically trust their authenticity”.
It advises against taking any action requested in these contacts, including downloading attachments, clicking on provided links, allowing remote access to phones and/or computers through screen-sharing applications, providing account credentials to financial institutions, transferring funds for supposed investments, paying supposed commissions, insurances, or taxes, or sending additional funds for alleged recovery of previous investments.
“Be particularly alert to email domains and phone numbers that may appear very similar to legitimate/official ones but have minor alterations. Always verify these domains through the official contacts published on the institutional websites of financial institutions,” the regulator emphasizes.
In the event of receiving such fraudulent requests, CMVM advises immediate contact via the Investor Support Line at 800 205 339 or by sending an email to in********@**vm.pt.
However, it warns that this contact “does not replace the need to file a complaint with the competent authorities for the investigation and repression of criminal offenses.”
The CMVM reminds that the misuse and abusive use of the name and image of authorized individuals and financial institutions “constitutes a criminal offense, and all identified situations should be reported to the competent judicial authorities.”
For more information, interested parties can consult the new area of the Investor Portal dedicated to fraud, where they can learn to identify a fraudulent scheme and what to do in case of a suspicious contact or if they become victims of fraud.
Additionally, the CMVM advises potential investors to verify whether the entity offering investment products is authorized to operate in Portugal by consulting the list of financial intermediaries authorized to provide investment services in Portugal before entering into any investment contracts.
