FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MSC issues warning on dubious investment website

Winnipeg - The Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC) is issuing a warning to Manitobans about Trader Platinum and traderplatinum.com, a company claiming to trade in stocks, commodities, financial derivatives, and contracts for difference (CFDs).

 Following an investigation, MSC has released an Investor Alert naming Trader Platinum and traderplatinum.com. Trader Platinum is not, and has never been, registered to trade securities in Manitoba.

A complainant to MSC described how he was approached by phone, and offered a fully-managed financial market trading account for $500 USD deposit, with a minimum guaranteed one per cent per day profit.  

“The Manitoba resident was promised a monthly profit return between 15 and 30 per cent,” says Jason Roy, Senior Investigator with the MSC. “That’s something like 180 to 350 per cent per year ROI. The caller also indicated that the first two weeks would be ‘zero risk’, and that any following trades would be ‘low risk’. That should absolutely raise a red flag that you might be dealing with a scam.”

The company claims to be operating from various world financial centres like London, Toronto, and New York, but their website lists their physical address as Sofia, Bulgaria.

“Bulgaria has unfortunately becoming a current prime landing place for many fraudsters run out of other countries,” says Roy, “specifically Binary Options trading, which was completely banned in Canada, Israel, and other nations last year.”

MSC suggests potential investors follow some basic advice to avoid investment fraud:

• Start by checking an individual or company’s registration at aretheyregistered.ca
• Research an investment before making a commitment
• Look for investment fraud red flags such as promises of high returns with low risk, pressure to invest quickly, and inconsistent details
• Never send money to anyone you only know from an unsolicited phone call or email
• Never give out sensitive personal information online or over the phone

Members of the public are advised to contact MSC if they believe they have been targeted by any type of investment fraud attempt. MSC’s anti-fraud line is 1-855-FRAUD-MB.

The public can also visit recognizeinvestmentfraud.com for more information on common investment frauds and scams.

The Manitoba Securities Commission is a division of the Manitoba Financial Services Agency, a Special Operating Agency of the Government of Manitoba that protects investors and promotes fair and efficient capital markets throughout the province.


 -30-

Media Inquiries:                   
Jason Booth, Communications Coordinator, MSC  |  204.945.1660 |  jason.booth@gov.mb.ca