Is Capital One Markets a Scam? Fake FCA & Withdrawal Fraud Exposed

Summary

"Capital One Markets" claims to be a leading global forex and cryptocurrency trading platform with the slogan "a global multi-asset investment solution." It promotes stable returns, professional quantitative strategies, and secure oversight, claiming London headquarters and regulation by the UK FCA. In reality, the Belgian FSMA officially listed it as a fraudulent online trading platform in 2025. Investigation confirms it has no legitimate licenses and operates classic scam tactics: fake regulation, fabricated profits, manipulated trading data, and systematic withdrawal blocks.

Capital One Markets Exposure Report | FSMA Warning: Fake Regulation, Withdrawal Fraud & Multi-Country Victim Cases

Introduction

Capital One Markets (capitalonemarkets.com) presents itself as a professional multi-asset broker regulated in the UK and partnered with major European banks. However, the Belgian FSMA has blacklisted it as a confirmed fraudulent platform. Further checks reveal zero valid regulation, stolen license numbers, fake office addresses, and a fully simulated trading backend designed only to trap deposits.

Platform Basic Information (Official Verification Results)

1. Fake Companies and Regulatory Packaging

• Fake FCA license number belongs to an unrelated UK loan company
• London “headquarters” is a virtual office with no staff
• Claimed partnerships with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank – all denied by the banks
• Fake MiFID II, ISO, and other certification badges with no registry entries

Purpose: Create a false sense of legitimacy to lower investor guard.

2. High-Return + AI Marketing Trap

• Ads promising “stable 20% monthly returns” and “zero-risk AI arbitrage”
• Exaggerated backtest curves showing impossible consistent profits
• Aggressive WhatsApp/Telegram “investment managers” pushing urgency and limited quotas
• Victims lured to top up repeatedly for “VIP strategies”

3. Fully Simulated Trading Backend

• Quotes delayed or completely disconnected from real market feeds
• No verifiable connection to liquidity providers
• Profit/loss 100% controlled by backend scripts
• Impossible to export genuine trade reports or verify via API

All displayed profits are fabricated to encourage further deposits.

4. Withdrawal Blocks and Secondary Extortion

Common excuses used to block withdrawals:

• 20–30% “compliance deposit”
• “EU profit tax” or “international transaction tax”
• AML/KYC audit fees
• System upgrade / maintenance fees

After victims pay these fake fees, accounts are frozen and support disappears.

Anti-Fraud Guide – How to Avoid Capital One Markets and Similar Scams

1. Always verify claimed regulation directly on official registries: