The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) warns the public against the fraudulent activities of Hontabal Invest, a company that is offering credit illegally to consumers and is using the name of an existing company, SAS Hontabal Invest, to appear credible. This is a case of identity theft.
Hontabal Invest is not authorized as a lender or registered as a credit intermediary in Belgium. Therefore, Hontabal Invest may not offer credit in Belgium.
According to the information available to the FSMA, it seems that the credit being offered by Hontabal Invest is entirely fraudulent. The company operates as follows: if a consumer tries to take up the offer, he or she is asked to make certain payments supposedly to cover various costs relating to the credit (for example, so-called dossier fees or an insurance premium). Once these costs have been paid, the consumer does not receive the credit, and it is almost impossible to recover the sums that were paid. More information about this type of consumer credit fraud is available in the general warning published by the FSMA on 18 January 2021.
The FSMA therefore very strongly advises against responding to any offers of credit made by Hontabal Invest and against making any payment to the company.
Hontabal Invest uses the website www.hontabalinvest.com, and the following contact details:
Email: contact@hontabalinvest.com
Tel.: +33 7 57 936 567
Would you like to enquire more generally as to whether a transaction being proposed complies with the financial legislation? Please use the search function on the FSMA website. You can also contact the FSMA directly via the consumer contact form.
Source: FSMA
