"One of the UK's leading specialists in financial mis-selling…"
The Times
Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin Cryptocurrency Exchange is a fraudulent cryptocurrency platform designed to deceive individuals into transferring money through social media manipulation, primarily using WhatsApp and online advertising.
Although the platform has appeared on financial websites such as Yahoo.com, most victims have been lured in through WhatsApp groups that falsely claim to provide expert trading guidance.
These WhatsApp groups are run by scammers pretending to be financial experts, some claiming to hold academic or professional titles, including being professors of finance. They aim to build trust and encourage new members to open an account on the Liberty platform and begin investing.
To appear low risk, victims are only asked to “start small” with a modest investment. The exchange then fabricates a trading account that shows fake profits, making it seem like the initial investment is growing. The illusion is used to pressure victims into investing larger amounts.
When victims try to access their supposed returns and wish to withdraw money, barriers are introduced—including invented withdrawal fees. These are further scams, and any money paid is never seen again.
When the scam became more widely known, the UK Financial Regulator issued a warning on 11 June 2025, stating that Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin Exchange was promoting financial products without FCA authorisation and to “avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams.”
The scam showed several red flag warning signs, including:
However, the most critical red flag was the platform’s lack of FCA authorisation. Any legitimate financial service operating in the UK must be authorised by the FCA. You can verify this by searching the FCA Register. Offering or promoting financial services without authorisation is a criminal offence.
Some victims may have mistaken this operation for the legitimate Liberty Bank in the United States, which is not connected to this scam. Similarly, Liberty gold coins are genuine and have recently increased in value. The scammers likely chose the name “Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin Exchange” to exploit the reputation of these legitimate names.
If you suspect Liberty Bank scammed you, don’t wait—time is critical in recovering lost funds. Speak to a solicitor today.
Answer a few quick questions and request a free callback. Our team will contact you for a no-obligation chat and explain the next steps.
The Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin scam is a highly sophisticated investment scam from the outset. Victims should not feel guilty or blame themselves—anyone could have been caught out by this scheme.
Unlike older scams that simply advertised fake trading platforms and waited for people to invest, Liberty’s approach was faster and more aggressive. Scammers knew that once early victims realised it was a scam, word would spread quickly on social media, potentially shutting the operation down. To avoid this, they used social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Reddit) to reach hundreds or even thousands of victims within a short time — often weeks.
One of the key tactics was promoting free investment or trading education through Facebook and WhatsApp groups. Victims received messages or posts promising huge daily returns if they joined a group and followed advice from so-called experts, described as “Professors,” “Mentors,” or “Coaches.”
But these experts didn’t provide real education. Instead, they guided members on how to use the fake Liberty trading platform, shared fake daily trading signals, and promoted fabricated investment opportunities, such as the launch of a new cryptocurrency called “Liberty Coin.”
The groups also featured fake personas, often posing as successful investors claiming to have made large profits. These were possibly AI-generated or scripted profiles, designed to create false confidence.
The Liberty operation closely resembled an earlier scam—Diamond Ridge Financial Academy—which also used WhatsApp coaching groups and the same scam structure. Some of the same “coach” names appeared in both scams, suggesting the same fraudsters were behind both. After Diamond Ridge was exposed, the scammers likely rebranded as Liberty.
Just like Diamond Ridge, the Liberty exchange displayed fake accounts and manipulated profit displays, showing large gains that were never real.
Eventually, victims started to realise the truth when they tried to withdraw funds and encountered roadblocks, including:
The scammers often delayed responses, blaming fake “app maintenance” that was never resolved.
When victims questioned the process, they were removed from WhatsApp groups to silence them and protect the scam.
In some cases, the scammers took desperate measures:
With over 17 years’ experience in fraud recovery and financial mis-selling, our solicitors specialise in complex cases just like yours—providing expert guidance every step of the way.
We’ve successfully reclaimed millions for victims of investment fraud and financial scams, proving our ability to deliver meaningful results.
Our strong success record in fraud and financial mis-selling cases demonstrates our ability to recover funds even in the most challenging situations.
You pay nothing unless we win. Our fees are a fixed, fair percentage of your recovery—no hidden costs, complete peace of mind.
Your case is handled by a dedicated senior solicitor, never delegated to juniors or trainees. We’re fully authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 468940) and recognised in Legal 500.
Every case is handled discreetly, efficiently, and with meticulous attention to detail—ensuring clear communication and tailored support throughout the process.
According to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warning issued on June 11, 2025,
“Liberty Bank / Liberty Coin Exchange is operating in the UK without authorisation.”
Read the official FCA warning here.
This confirms that Liberty Bank (also known as Liberty Coin Exchange) is not authorised or regulated to offer financial services in the UK. As a result, any investments or transactions made through this platform are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
What This Means for You:
While the FCA provides critical alerts and official warnings, they do not provide legal advice or assist in recovering your funds.
That’s where we come in.
If you’ve been affected by Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin Exchange. Contact us for a free, confidential legal consultation.
If you’ve lost money to Liberty Bank / Liberty Coin Exchange, you may feel helpless, but you do have recovery routes available under UK financial regulations. Many victims are not aware that banks, credit card companies, and even the Financial Ombudsman may be able to help under certain circumstances, especially if your payment went through a regulated UK provider.
Our legal team can guide you through these routes and advocate on your behalf, significantly improving your chances of success.
If You Paid by Debit or Credit Card
If your payment was made using a credit or debit card, we can explore:
Not all banks are cooperative, especially when scams involve crypto or overseas transfers. That’s where we step in to help build and present your case effectively.
If You Sent Money via Bank Transfer
If your payment was made by bank transfer to another UK Bank account, you may be able to claim a refund under the Authorised Push Payment (APP) regulations:
UK banking regulations do allow for the reimbursement of scammed funds from your own bank if the transaction was a transfer to another UK bank. Unfortunately, the Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin scam involved bank transfers to international accounts and the transfer of cryptocurrency. Banks, however, are still under an obligation to consider reimbursing all or some of your lost funds if it can be shown that they could have taken more steps to prevent the transfer.
This can often be shown to be the case where the transfer or series of transfers was unusual, e.g., it was a large amount, or they were to an international bank. While in these situations the bank is not under a regulatory obligation to reimburse, we have experience and expertise in demonstrating how your bank could have done more to prevent the transfer, thereby obtaining a reimbursement.
Although regulators like the FCA issue important alerts, they do not recover funds or assist victims with navigating legal processes. This is where our legal team can support you:
We specialise in fraud and mis-selling cases—and have experience helping people who’ve been misled by fake financial platforms posing as legitimate institutions.
Wondering which option applies to you? Our legal team is here to support you, not judge you.
We keep you informed—always. Expect clear, regular communication from us. Whether we’re negotiating with your Bank or preparing an application to FOS, you’ll never be left in the dark.
We understand that negligence victims have already lost money, so we offer a “No Win, No Fee” Agreement.
What This Means for You
Scams involving fake banks or crypto exchanges often overlap with APP fraud and wider crypto scams. If your case involves similar payment routes or platforms, explore the related services below:
Yes—but not the one used in this scam.
There is a legitimate Liberty Bank in the United States, which is authorised by the US banking regulator. It has no connection to the Liberty Bank/Liberty Coin scam that used WhatsApp groups to promote fake cryptocurrency investments.
In many cases, yes—especially if you acted reasonably and weren’t warned by your bank.
Liberty Coin had all the hallmarks of a fraudulent investment platform, designed to steal victims’ money. UK banking regulations allow victims to recover funds if the transaction was a UK bank transfer and the victim was not grossly negligent (e.g., they didn’t ignore a clear warning from their bank).
Even if you used a debit/credit card or international transfer, you may still have a case, particularly if your bank could have done more to prevent the scam. We specialise in proving this.
This scam followed a highly organised playbook seen in other fake investment schemes.
Red flags included:
It depends on how your bank handles your complaint.
If you submit a request for a refund:
If your bank refuses or partially refunds, you can appeal to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)—they can order the bank to refund if the rules were applied unfairly.
To help us present your case as strongly as possible, please prepare the following:
This documentation helps us build your case for a refund or a complaint to the Ombudsman.
No – you’re not legally required to use a solicitor to request a bank refund or submit a complaint to the Ombudsman.
However, many scam victims choose legal support when:
We offer a clear, legal route to challenge unfair decisions and give victims the best possible chance of recovering what they lost.
Tim qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and has more than 25 years of experience advising clients on professional negligence, financial mis-selling and complex civil litigation matters. He oversees the firm’s professional negligence cases and advises on case strategy.
Tim has reviewed this page to help ensure the legal information is accurate, up to date and relevant to individuals considering a potential claim.
We offer a free, confidential consultation to help you understand your legal options. Our specialist solicitors handle professional negligence, pension and investment mis-selling, and fraud recovery claims across England and Wales. From day one, we’ll give you clear, practical advice tailored to your situation.
Provide your details to start your eligibility check. You’ll answer a few brief questions next so we can confirm whether your enquiry meets the criteria for a potential claim.
You do not need legal representation to make a financial services claim. You can complain yourself at no cost and under FCA rules, the financial services provider must provide a response. If you feel this is unsatisfactory, you can complain to the statutory redress bodies, the FOS and FSCS who can award you compensation. This is a free service.
The information appearing within this website does not constitute legal advice and is provided for general information purposes only. No warranty, whether express or implied, is given in relation to such material, and we do not accept any liability for reliance on it.
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