Belgium: reporting an investment scam to your bank, police and FSMA
Understand Belgium’s financial-fraud reporting routes, Safeonweb phishing reporting and the distinction between FSMA warnings and personal recovery.
Contact the sending bank or payment service, report the suspected crime to police and notify FSMA about a suspicious investment offer. FSMA explicitly cannot recover individual losses. Safeonweb provides separate routes for suspicious messages and cyber incidents.
Belgium has different channels for payment action, suspected investment fraud, phishing and a complaint about a genuine financial service. Sending everything to one body can leave an important step undone.
This guide is jurisdiction-specific. It does not apply UK reimbursement rules to Belgian transfers or promise that an FSMA report results in repayment. Preserve a consistent evidence pack while directing the appropriate request to each organisation.
Act through the real payment provider
Contact your bank, issuer or exchange using its official app or known contact details. Identify the affected transactions and ask what can be stopped, recalled or secured. Explain whether you approved a transfer under deception or whether someone used your account without approval.
Save receipts and the time you first reported. If passwords, card information or remote access were exposed, address those risks immediately as well. Do not wait for the suspicious platform’s support team to approve a withdrawal.
Report the offer to FSMA and the crime to police
FSMA invites reports of suspicious credit or investment offers, including companies for which it has not yet issued a warning. Its guidance says victims should also file a police complaint. Provide the website, contacts, representations, documents and payment details through verified channels.
These are distinct reports. Police investigate crime; FSMA can examine the offer and warn or act to protect others. FSMA expressly states that it does not have legal competence to handle individual cases or recover lost funds.
Use Safeonweb for messages and cyber concerns
Safeonweb’s official incident page distinguishes suspicious messages, cyber incidents, online crime and investment fraud. It identifies a forwarding channel for suspicious messages and directs investment-fraud concerns to FSMA. Follow the live page for the correct route rather than assuming all online incidents use the same form.
If a suspicious message led to a payment, report the payment to the bank and police as well. Forwarding a phishing email is not a reimbursement claim. Preserve the relevant message safely before deletion if it forms part of your evidence.
Separate a provider complaint from the scam report
If your issue concerns how a real bank or investment provider handled your situation, use that provider’s complaint process. FSMA’s banking, credit and investment-services guidance explains the complaint context and relevant external resources.
Ask for written reasons, the legal entity involved and the appropriate dispute route. Eligibility depends on the provider and complaint. A regulatory warning about a fraudulent platform does not by itself decide the responsibility of a bank through which you paid.
Protect documents and resist recovery offers
Save the evidence of any copied firm identity or claimed authorisation. Match official registration details and contact the real firm independently where impersonation is suspected. Keep genuine losses separate from claimed profits.
If identification was disclosed, contact affected financial providers and document issuers for appropriate Belgian advice. Do not send more information or money to someone claiming to unlock compensation. A caller’s knowledge of your original loss is not proof that they represent FSMA, police or a legitimate recovery professional.
A short checklist
- Contact the payment provider promptly.
- Report investment concerns to FSMA.
- File a police complaint for suspected crime.
- Use Safeonweb’s correct message or incident route.
- Keep provider complaints and identity protection separate.
Common questions
Will FSMA recover my investment?
FSMA explicitly says it lacks the legal competence to recover lost funds in individual cases. Its reporting route supports investigation of offers and protection of others.
Should I report a company without an existing warning?
Yes. FSMA encourages reports about suspicious companies even when it has not yet published a warning. Absence from a warning list is not a clean bill of health.
References
- Report attempted fraudFinancial Services and Markets Authority · Belgium
- Banking, credit or investment services complaintsFinancial Services and Markets Authority · Belgium
- Report an incidentCentre for Cybersecurity Belgium / Safeonweb · Belgium
- What to do if you've been scammedASIC Moneysmart · Australia
- Refund and recovery scamsFederal Trade Commission · United States; scam-pattern guidance
- Clone firms and individualsFinancial Conduct Authority · United Kingdom
