Investment and stock trading scams can cause serious financial losses. Scammers pose as legitimate investment companies, brokers, trading platforms, portfolio managers, or financial advisers, and use false information to get victims to deposit money.

STB Investigation reviews cases for individuals and businesses who think they’ve been caught up in an investment or stock trading scam. We look at what you have, work out what happened, and explain your options.

Understanding Investment & Stock Trading Scams

Investment scams take many forms. Fraudsters use professional-looking websites, made-up trading results, false regulatory claims, impersonation, social media ads, or direct contact to make a fake opportunity look real.

Some schemes show apparent profits on an online trading account, then make it difficult or impossible to withdraw your money.

A financial loss or a failed investment is not automatically fraud. We look at the evidence, transaction records, communications, and what we can find out about the company or platform before drawing any conclusion.

Common Types of Investment & Stock Trading Scams

1. Fake trading platforms: Websites or apps that show trading activity or account balances but give you no real access to the underlying investments.
2. Impersonation scams: Fraudsters claim to represent legitimate investment firms, brokers, financial institutions, or well-known companies.
3. Unregulated investment services: Some schemes falsely claim to be authorised or regulated by a financial regulator.
4. Guaranteed or unrealistic returns: Be wary of guaranteed profits, unusually high returns, or investments described as low or no risk.
5. Withdrawal problems: Unexpected fees, taxes, account restrictions, or repeated requests for more payments before your funds can supposedly be released.
6. Pressure to invest more: After showing you apparent profits, scammers push you to deposit more, or tell you extra funds are needed to increase returns.

How We Work

Depending on your case, we may:

1. Review your transactions

We go through bank statements, payment confirmations, trading records, account statements, invoices, and other financial documents.

2. Check the platform and company

We look into the investment platform, the company, its website, its claimed regulatory status, and the people or organisations behind it.

3. Organise the evidence

We sort your emails, messages, screenshots, contracts, account records, and payment information into a clear timeline of events.

4. Follow the money

Where the information allows, we review the documented transactions and payment destinations to show how funds moved between accounts or services.

5. Assess your next steps

We explain which options for reporting, dispute resolution, regulatory complaints, or legal action may apply to your case.

If You’ve Been Affected

If you think you’ve lost money to an investment or stock trading scam, keep your evidence before you delete any accounts, messages, emails, or records.

Useful items include:

• Bank statements and payment confirmations
• Trading account statements
• Screenshots of trading platforms
• Emails and messaging records
• Website addresses and platform information
• Contracts and invoices
• Names and contact details of the people involved
• Cryptocurrency wallet addresses and transaction IDs, if any
• Records of any extra fees or payments you were asked to make

Where it makes sense, also contact your bank, card provider, payment service, financial regulator, or the police.

If you think a transaction was unauthorised, contact your bank or payment provider as soon as possible.

Can I Get My Money Back?

It depends on your case.

The main factors are how you paid, how long ago it happened, where the money went, what evidence you have, and whether financial institutions, payment providers, exchanges, regulators, or law enforcement can act.

An investigation can help establish what happened and point to options such as reporting, dispute resolution, or further action. But recovery is not guaranteed, and STB Investigation cannot promise you’ll get your money back.

Protect Yourself From Recovery Scams

People who have lost money to an investment scam are sometimes targeted by a second scam.

Be especially wary of anyone who:

• Guarantees your investment will be recovered.
• Demands a large upfront payment in return for guaranteed results.
• Claims special access to banks, regulators, or law-enforcement systems.
• Claims they can hack or remotely access a trading platform to get your funds back.
• Contacts you out of the blue after learning about your loss.

Before you make any further payment, check independently who you’re dealing with and what they’re offering.

Why STB Investigation?

• Every case is treated on its own facts: We review your circumstances and evidence.
• We rely on documents: We focus on records, transactions, communications, and other evidence.
• Straight answers: We explain what we find, what the limits are, and what you can do next.
• Your case shapes the work: We adjust our approach to the type of fraud and the evidence you have.

Request an Initial Case Assessment

If you think you’ve been a victim of an investment or stock trading scam, we can review what you have and explain your investigation and reporting options.

Contact STB Investigation to request an initial assessment.

An initial assessment does not guarantee recovery, compensation, or any particular outcome.