It is well known that scammers use social media (SM) like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to attack the new generation of investors and acquire affiliates. In addition, instant messenger services such as WhatsApp or Telegram are increasingly used as virtual boiler rooms to lure in and defraud online investors. Regulators have also recognized this. The UK FCA issued a warning against SM boiler room operator Les Loups d/b/a TradWise a/k/a The Tipster (@iam_thetipster). Here are our findings.
Key data
| Brands | Les Loupes, TradWise, The Tipster, I am the Tipster |
| Domains | www.iamthetipster.com, https://linktr.ee/iamthetipster |
| Legal Entities | not yet exposed |
| Jurisdiction | not yet exposed |
| Related individuals | not yet exposed |
| SM & IM Channels | Facebook (here), Instagram (here), WhatsApp |
The narrative
The Les Loups group d/b/a The Tipster (@iam_thehipster) runs the website https://linktr.ee/iamthetipster, where it refers there to the various social media and messenger channels with which customers are caught and served. On the Facebook page Les Loups UK (https://www.facebook.com/lesloupsuk/), we found almost 18,000 subscribers. The website states that they operate as a financial service provider, as do the “normal” call centers, a/k/a boiler rooms.
In its very essence, this Facebook page and its related websites and IM channels are nothing less than a powerful social media boiler room chasing affiliates and customers (victims) for the various instant messenger channels. Many clients of SM boiler rooms like Les Loups also become affiliates and refer their friends in exchange for commissions (see ad campaign left).
The Les Loups group also runs TradWise with the domain www.iamthehipster.com. This website provides an address in Holborn, United Kingdom.
Share information
We would like to know more about the Leas Loups group and its activities. If you have any helpful information, please share it with us through our whistleblower system, Whistle42.
