Abstract:Italy’s CONSOB has ordered the blocking of five unauthorized investment websites offering financial services without a license, as part of efforts to protect investors from online fraud.

Italys financial regulator, the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB), has ordered internet service providers to block access to five additional websites found to be offering investment services without proper authorisation.
The action forms part of an ongoing enforcement effort aimed at limiting the availability of unlicensed financial platforms to Italian investors.
According to CONSOB, the following platforms were targeted in the most recent round of intervention:
These websites were found to be providing investment-related services without holding the necessary regulatory approval required under Italian law.
With this latest move, the number of investment websites blocked by CONSOB since July 2019 has reached 1,575, reflecting the scale of the challenge regulators face in monitoring cross-border online financial activity.
The blocking orders were issued under the authority granted by Italys so-called “Growth Decree” (Law No. 58 of 28 June 2019), which empowers CONSOB to restrict access to financial websites operating outside the regulated framework.
In practice, this means domestic internet providers are required to prevent users from accessing these platforms once the order takes effect. While the technical implementation may vary in timing, the objective remains the same: to reduce public exposure to unauthorised financial services.
Alongside the enforcement announcement, CONSOB also highlighted the growing complexity of online fraud schemes.
Recent cases have involved the use of cloned websites, spoofed email domains, and even fabricated endorsements using the likeness of public figures. In some instances, scammers have turned to AI-generated images, voice recordings, or video content to lend credibility to false investment opportunities.
Such tactics are increasingly deployed to create a sense of legitimacy around platforms that operate entirely outside regulatory oversight, often encouraging users to transfer funds or disclose personal information.
The regulator reiterated that investors should carefully verify the authorisation status of any platform offering trading or investment services before engaging with it online.
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