1Prime Options Scam: CONSOB Ban, No Licence

1Prime Options (1primeoptions.com) shows a registration based in the Marshall Islands and claims to offer binary options and forex trading. The platform holds no valid licence from any international financial regulator and was subjected to an access ban by Italy's financial regulator CONSOB in 2022. It has been labelled directly as a "SCAM" by international broker review platforms, and investors' withdrawal requests are reported to be blocked systematically. 1Prime Options is not authorised in Türkiye by the Capital Markets Board (SPK).

🚩 Is 1Prime Options Reliable?

• No SPK licence: 1Prime Options does not hold the Capital Markets Board (SPK) authorisation that is mandatory for carrying out capital markets activity in Türkiye. The platform does not appear on the list of licensed brokerage firms at spk.gov.tr.
• Blocked by an international regulator: Italy's financial regulator CONSOB applied an access ban to the domain 1primeoptions.com by Decision No. 22415 of 27 March 2022. The decision states that the platform provided investment services without the required authorisation.
• Offshore registration: The Marshall Islands is an offshore centre where regulatory supervision is extremely limited. Platforms registered there cannot be expected to be subject to any legal framework that protects investor funds.
• Lack of transparency: The platform does not publish its leverage ratios, spread values, commission amounts or other trading costs. This prevents investors from assessing the risk.

📉 How Does the Fraud Work?

• The promise of binary options and forex: The platform promises high returns through binary options and forex trading. Binary options trading is banned or restricted for retail investors in many countries and is an instrument with a high risk of fraud.
• Building trust with small gains: In the first stage, investors are shown small gains and allowed to withdraw them. Once trust is established, larger investments are encouraged.
• Obstruction at the withdrawal stage: When investors try to withdraw larger sums, withdrawals are blocked through various technical excuses, verification requirements or demands for additional fees.
• Producing technical excuses: Excuses such as a system update, a security verification or an account review are put forward, and withdrawal requests are postponed indefinitely.
• Cutting off communication: When an investor insists on a withdrawal or mentions legal proceedings, the platform's representatives break off contact unilaterally.

🚫 Identified Information

• Platform name: 1Prime Options (1PrimeOptions)
• Domain: 1primeoptions.com
• Country of registration: Marshall Islands
• Contact: [email protected]
• Regulatory warning: CONSOB (Italy) — access ban, Decision No. 22415 of 27 March 2022
• SPK registration: None

🛡️ Protection Guide

• ✅ Before money is sent to any platform, the SPK list of licensed brokerage firms (spk.gov.tr) can be consulted. 1Prime Options is not on this list.
• ✅ Platforms offering binary options trading call for particular caution. This instrument is banned for retail investors across the EU and is not regulated by the SPK in Türkiye either.
• ✅ Whether a platform has been blocked by international regulators can be checked; the warning lists of authorities such as CONSOB, the FCA or ASIC are public.
• ✅ It is worth remembering that platforms registered in offshore jurisdictions such as the Marshall Islands, Saint Vincent and Seychelles have no investor protection mechanisms.
• ✅ Where a person has become a victim, all correspondence, transfer documents and platform screenshots are normally kept as evidence.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions