Discovering that you are a victim of investment fraud is a shock. The feeling of betrayal, the anger, and the powerlessness are understandable. But the most important thing you can do right now is take action. The faster you act, the greater the chance that you can recover your damages. Below are the concrete steps you can take.
Step 1: Secure evidence
This is the most important first step. Keep everything related to your investment: the original contract or investment agreement, all brochures and informational materials you received, bank statements proving your payments, all emails, letters, and text messages to and from the company, certificates, proof of participation, or bonds, and any notes from telephone conversations (dates, names, what was discussed).
Make copies of everything and store them in a safe place — both physically and digitally. This material is essential for any legal proceedings and can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful claim even years later.
Step 2: Report to the police
Report the fraud to the police. This creates an official file and can lead to a criminal investigation against the perpetrators. Take your evidence with you to the police station. Even if the police do not take immediate action — which unfortunately happens with complex financial fraud — the report is important. It is an official document that can be used later in civil proceedings.
Step 3: Report to the AFM
Report the fraud to the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) via their website or reporting center. The AFM can investigate, issue warnings, take enforcement action, and possibly impose fines. Keep in mind, however, that the AFM cannot arrange compensation for you — the regulator protects the market as a whole but does not help individual investors get their money back.
Step 4: Contact Foundation BFRG
To actually recover your money, a civil procedure is necessary. This is where Foundation BFRG comes into the picture. We conduct mass claims for defrauded investors: joint procedures where costs are shared, specialized lawyers do the work, and the striking power of the collective is utilized.
Contact us to discuss whether your case qualifies for a mass claim. For our ongoing case (Goodwood/Floresteca/ATF), you can register directly. For new cases, we assess whether there are enough victims and legal grounds to start a new procedure.
Don’t do nothing
The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing. Waiting and hoping it will resolve itself is not a strategy — it is a recipe for permanently losing your investment. Claims can expire, evidence can disappear, and deadlines for participating in mass claims will pass. Take action today.
