Resources · Investor guides
How to check an investment sitebefore you trust it with your money.
New sites offering financial services without authorization appear online every day. These guides explain, with official sources, how to recognize an unauthorized operator and how to check whether a broker is listed in the supervisory authorities' registers · before you send a single euro.
§ 1 · Checklist
Six checks before you invest.
An essential check anyone can run in a few minutes, using only public, official sources.
Search the operator in official registers
The CONSOB register of investment firms, the Bank of Italy registers for banks, the EU registers. The exact company name must appear, not just the trading brand.
Check the authorities' alerts
The IOSCO Investor Alerts Portal and the public lists of sites flagged by national authorities (CONSOB, AMF, ESMA). Being listed in an alert is a strong warning sign.
Verify the registered office and contacts
Be wary of offshore jurisdictions, contact only via chat or messaging apps, and the absence of a verifiable company name with a VAT or registration number.
Recognize unrealistic promises
Guaranteed returns, artificial urgency, deposit bonuses and pressure to pay immediately are incompatible with an authorized operator.
Compare the domain with the original
Clones and typosquats imitate the name and logo of registered firms by changing a letter or the domain extension. Check the exact address.
When in doubt, stop and report
Do not send money until you have checked the official sources. If unsure, contact CONSOB before proceeding.
§ 2 · Guides
In depth.
How to check whether a broker is authorized
The registers to consult, the practical verification steps, the warning signs and what to do when in doubt.
Read the guideGuideHow to recognize an online trading scam
How the schemes work, the entry points, the warning signs, the fake fund-recovery trap and what to do when in doubt.
Read the guide§ 3 · FAQ
Common questions.
- How do I know whether a broker is authorized to operate in Italy?
- Check the official registers: the CONSOB register of investment firms and the list of EU investment firms passported to operate in Italy. For banks, the Bank of Italy registers. A foreign operator must be authorized by its home regulator and notified to operate in Italy under the EU passport. If it appears in no official register, treat it as unauthorized.
- What is the IOSCO investor alerts list?
- IOSCO's Investor Alerts Portal aggregates warnings published by securities regulators worldwide about entities offering financial services without authorization. A site listed there has already been flagged by at least one authority · a strong risk indicator.
- Is a site with professional design and good reviews safe?
- No. Design quality and reviews say nothing about authorization and are often fabricated. Many unauthorized sites imitate the look of regulated firms. The only thing that matters is whether the firm appears in the authorities' official registers.
- What can I do if I have already sent money to a site I suspect is unauthorized?
- Stop any further payment, keep all evidence (emails, screenshots, transfer receipts) and report it to the competent authority (in Italy, CONSOB and its "Occhio alle truffe" portal) and to the police. Be wary of anyone asking for more money to "unlock" or "recover" your funds: it is a recurring scheme.
- Does InvestShield verify sites for individuals?
- InvestShield is a technical pipeline built for supervisory authorities and investor-protection operators. The public verification tool cross-checks a site against IOSCO alerts and authority registers; it is informational support and does not replace checking the official sources, nor the legal qualification, which rests with the competent authority.
Authorised firms
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Verification tool
Got a site to check?
InvestShield's public tool cross-checks a site against IOSCO alerts and the supervisory authorities' registers and gives you a concise technical picture. It is an informational aid: legal qualification rests with the competent authority.