Malta’s MFSA warned on March 15, 2019 that aqa.capital was impersonating AQA Capital Ltd. The authority expressly ruled out an association with the licensed Maltese business, company number C 70143, and questioned the website’s claimed presence in Malta.
Whose Valletta Address Appears in the Warning?
The MFSA attributes 171, Old Bakery Street, Valletta to the genuine AQA Capital Ltd. It disputed the website’s claimed Maltese presence. Treating that address as the clone’s verified office would repeat the identity confusion the authority was warning about.
What Remains of aqa.capital After the Maltese Warning
The lookup for aqa.capital returned no domain record. The dated MFSA PDF documents an earlier internet presence but gives no registration date or later registrant.
The Offer Behind the Copied Identity
No offering document from the disputed website was available to compare with the genuine firm’s services. Assigning either party a deposit threshold, fee or promised yield would require the original offer.
Direct HTTP and HTTPS requests could not resolve aqa.capital on November 4, 2026.
Company C 70143 Is the Identity to Protect
Malta’s warning distinguishes the licensed AQA Capital Ltd from an impersonating website. A contract that quotes the correct company number could still have come from the clone. Obtain contact details independently before treating the number as proof of who sent the contract.
Why a Successful Company Search Can Mislead
A search for the Maltese company number can succeed even when the invitation that prompted it came from an impersonator. That is what makes this case different from one in which a seller simply invents a company. The MFSA identifies a real licensed business, gives its registered office and says the disputed website was using genuine company details. A searcher who stops after matching the number and street address has confirmed facts about the intended victim of the impersonation.
There are two questions to put to the paperwork. Does the company described in the brochure exist? And did that company actually issue this brochure or authorise this person to communicate with the customer? The MFSA answers the first in identifying AQA Capital Ltd. On the relationship claimed by aqa.capital, it goes further and expressly rules out an association. A document that merely repeats the company’s registered details cannot overcome that finding. A dated confirmation from the genuine business, obtained independently, would address the origin of a particular document.
The Maltese warning specifically draws attention to financial offers made by telephone or social media. For a telephone approach, the most useful surviving details may be the date, the number displayed and the address supplied for a follow-up message. For a social media approach, retain the account identifier and the original conversation as well as the profile’s display name. In either case, record how the contact directed the recipient to aqa.capital. That link can connect an otherwise ambiguous use of the initials AQA to the website named in the warning.
If the contact progressed to a payment request, preserve the first version of the instruction as well as any later change to the beneficiary. A company number in the message footer says little about the owner of the receiving account. An original instruction and a bank confirmation can show whether the destination actually used matched the one requested. Where the approach ended before any transfer, say so. The attempted use of the genuine company’s identity can still be documented without implying that a loss occurred or that the licensed firm received money.
A report can also distinguish the person whose identity was copied from the account that distributed the offer. Preserving both details lets the regulator examine the impersonation without directing a complaint against the wrong business.
How to Describe the Valletta Address Accurately
Consider a letter that gives the Valletta address on its letterhead and asks the recipient to sign through the disputed website. The strongest description is that the letter reproduced the genuine firm’s registered address and directed the recipient to the domain named in the MFSA warning. Saying that the letter was sent from that office goes further than the evidence. A postmark, an original email header or confirmation from the firm could add information about its route. The street address printed on the page cannot establish that route by itself. If an attachment cites the registered office, retain the page identifying who actually signed it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Company Number C 70143 Authenticate an Offer?
The identifier belongs to the genuine firm in the MFSA notice. It is evidence for distinguishing the two parties. A sender using it still needs to be checked through independently obtained contact details for the licensed firm.
Conclusion and Reporting Guidance
The Maltese authority confirmed impersonation and denied any association between the site and AQA Capital Ltd. Current control of the address and the source of any subsequent approach remain unverified.
If someone quoted the Maltese registration number, retain the offer and the sender’s actual address. Report the impersonation to the MFSA and alert your payment provider if money changed hands.
How to Report Financial Fraud · Clone Firm Fraud