Italy’s Companies and Exchange Commission (CONSOB) has ordered the blocking of access to six new websites that abusively offer financial services.
The websites targeted by the latest set of orders are:
- “Eurotrade” (website https://server.eurotrade.uk.com and domain https://eurotrade.uk.com);
- “Eurotrades” (website https://eurotrades.com and domain https://client.eurotrades.com);
- Xertz Consulting LTD (website https://hastrade.pro and domain https://client.hashtrade.io);
- Surreptitious Group LLC (website https://fincloud.capital);
- “Market Gold” (website https://market-gold.com);
- Corsair Europe Holding B.V./ Corsair Development Company Limited (website www.corsairnow.com).
In issuing the orders, the regulator made use of the powers deriving from the “Growth Decree” (Law no. 58 of 28 June 2019, Article no. 36, paragraph 2-terdecies), on the basis of which Consob can order Internet service providers (ISPs) to block access from Italy to the websites through which financial services are offered without due authorization.
The number of websites blocked since July 2019, when Consob got the power to order that the websites of fraudulent financial intermediaries be blacked out, has thus risen to 616.
The implementation of the blocking of these websites by Internet service providers operating on Italian territory is ongoing. For technical reasons, it can take several days for the black-out to come into effect.
The regulator has been issuing such orders on a weekly basis. Last week, the number of blocked websites reached 610, with five more websites blocked. A week before that, Consob ordered the blackout of five unauthorized investment websites, including those operated by Invest Area and Crypto Solution.
In late December 2021, Consob ordered the blackout of 28 new pages/websites that abusively offer financial services. The intervention followed a report from the Finance Police.