Binary Options Victims Beware: False Saviors
Been victimized by a binary option scam? Be careful. We have seen several cases where victims of binary options fraud were victimized twice, sometimes by the same fraudsters, who purported to help the victims “save” their investment. Cruel, but true. The fraudsters had already identified the vulnerability of their “investors” when they enticed them to “invest.” Then, they contact them again, under a different fictitious name to offer “help” in recovering the lost investment, for a fee. STOP, do not fall for their trap again. THINK — how did the “saviors” know you were already victimized, unless they themselves were connected to the original scammers? Sometimes, “the saviors” offer that you retain their services, which include legal representation. DO NOT FALL FOR IT. The “saviors,” even if they are legit, are not lawyers, and therefore are not subject to any rules of ethics set by a regulatory agency. Check the relevant bar association website to make sure the person you retain is a licensed lawyer. Obviously, why would you hire an intermediary company that hides its principals and location, just like the binary options scammers? Non-lawyers’ demands from a binary options company find their way to the nearest waste basket. What could a non-lawyer do to them? Write a letter of complaint to the editor of the local newspaper? Experienced lawyers, on the other hand, have legal teeth, and they bite.
HOW TO IDENTIFY “A FALSE SAVIOR?”
- They call you first, although you never sought their help.
- They will avoid your request to switch the conversation to “Skype” or any other App that allows you to see their face (“our webcam is not working”, they’d say.)
- They will avoid giving you their real name and address, instead using “stage names” and virtual office addresses in a respectable area. In fact, “John Brown” of the City of London, could be “Nikita Marchenko” calling from Cyprus, Mauritius, Bulgaria, Kosovo or Serbia. using an untraceable Internet phone, from a “call center” in his basement. If you are victimized again, how do you find that fraudster, when you couldn’t find the first scammer?
- They will make up an excuse as to how they knew you were a victim of binary options fraud. For example: “The SEC has seized the scammers’ computers and hired my firm to trace the victims regarding their limited-time opportunity to get their money back.” Or, “We have engaged private investigators to identify binary options victims.” Really? Or maybe the “savior” was in fact your scammer and/or is connected to the scammer in another way?
- A non-lawyer company will ask for your credit card details to charge you an “administrative fee,” even if they are legit.
- They will boast of collecting “millions” but fail to show even a shred of evidence.
- They will claim to have rescued money for “hundreds of clients” but fail to present even a few testimonials.
- They tell you of being assisted by the best and most-experienced lawyers, but then – if you are lucky – you end up with junior lawyers who are “training on the job.”
- They will urge you to agree immediately or lose the only chance of recovery.
In sum: Victims beware!