Abstract:The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has filed a case against a group of people for suspected investment fraud with binary options between June 2016 and January 2020.
The UK's financial watchdog is going after Cameron Vickers, Raheel Mirza, and Opeyemi Solaja (also known as Opeyemi Olaja) for allegedly running a London company called Bespoke Markets Group that scammed UK investors out of £1.2 million.
The FCA also accused Reuben Akpojaro, another Bespoke Markets Group employee, with the same scheme-related charges.
Along with the FCA investigation, Raheel Mirza and a fifth person, Taheer Sardar, were also charged with trying to change the way the law works. Between July 31 and October 1, 2022, the two individuals reportedly created a forged document in order to influence the case.
Money laundering, fraud, and unauthorized operation
According to the regulator, the money was used to fund their lifestyles rather than the binary options investments that were advertised, and each of them was charged with offenses under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law.
According to Section 19 of the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 (FSMA), a person cannot engage in a regulated activity in the United Kingdom unless they receive authorization from the FCA or are exempt from the legislation. If someone violates Section 19 of the FSMA, they are committing a felony punishable by up to two years in jail.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act of 2002, money laundering is a crime that can lead to a fine or up to 14 years in prison.
If you are found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, you could spend up to ten years in jail.
Since January 2019, binary options have been prohibited for retail usage.
Binary options are a high-risk 'all-or-nothing' investment in which investors try to anticipate whether or not an event will occur. They were outlawed in the UK in 2019 because there was too much proof that the product was presented as a form of gambling and that retail consumers invariably lost money when they purchased it.
The FCA is using a three-year plan to stop and get rid of behavior that could cause a lot of damage. The FCA recently stated that it has imposed limitations on twice as many investment companies as it had previous year.
WikiFX also monitors UK-based forex brokers to check whether they provide binary options. Traders are told to let WikiFX know about anything related to binary options as soon as they find out about it.
Here are the complete details about banning binary options in the UK:
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/binary-options
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