Pilotrade AI Scam Warning: Unauthorised AI Trading Cycles

Pilotrade AI is a platform that says it offers crypto and stock signals under the slogan "let artificial intelligence manage your trades", and collects money from investors for a "trading cycle" that is locked for the number of days the investor chooses. On 12 October 2026 the FCA published a warning about Pilotrade AI for providing unauthorised financial services. The fact that the domain named in the warning is spelled differently from the domain live today shows that the scheme operates by changing its address.

🤖 How Is the "AI Trading Cycle" Set Up?

The user chooses an asset and ties the money to a cycle lasting from one day up to one year; the dashboard adds "earnings" every day, and the profit can only be withdrawn when the cycle ends. The packages are tiered: the upper tiers are called "Diamond" and "Premium (VIP)", and a higher entry amount is promised a "personal account manager" and a larger profit ceiling.

• Payment channels: BTC, ETH, USDT (ERC-20 / TRC-20), USDC, SOL, bank transfer and card
• Contact: the form on the site asks the user for a WhatsApp number and states that the "admin" will reach the user on WhatsApp
• Chat assistant: a bot called "Theresa" steers the visitor towards the registration and deposit steps

🚩 The Licence and Insurance Claims on the Site

The site states that it has obtained a "MiCA operating licence" from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), a certificate from FINRA, and that client assets are insured through Lloyd's of London. Crypto-service authorisations under MiCA are granted not by ESMA but by the national authorities of the member states; the claim is therefore in itself a warning sign about the scheme.

🔍 Domain Name and the FCA Record

In the FCA warning the address appears as www.pilottradeai.com; there is no registration for this domain. The live site, pilotradeai.com, was registered through Name.com on 30 April 2026. Pilotrade AI is not authorised by SPK; Article 109 of Capital Markets Law No. 6362 makes unauthorised capital markets activity a criminal offence. Authorised institutions appear in the SPK list of authorised brokerage firms. No connection has been found between the platform and the "Pilot Trading" signal app of the same name.

🔗 Other Platforms Using the Same Method

The story of an AI bot growing money by itself is not unique to Pilotrade AI; we have previously covered platforms that collect money with the same narrative.

🧭 Legal Process in Pilotrade AI Cases

1. The authorisation status of the platform and of the accounts receiving payments is clarified through an SPK licence queryTR.
2. Payments sent to crypto wallets are traced using the method applied in cases where the money was transferred to a crypto exchangeTR.
3. The place of the conduct under the qualified fraud provisionsTR is assessed.

For detailed information and legal support, you can contact Savun Law & Consultancy.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions