The forex industry is recently seeing more and more scams. Here are 7 ways to avoid losing your money in such scams:
Forex scams are becoming frequent. Michael Greenberg reports on luxurious expenses, including a submarine bought from the money taken from forex traders. Here’s another report of a forex fraud.
So, how can we avoid falling in such forex scams? Casey Stubbs already covered this issue and gave 3 ways to avoid forex scams. I’ll expand on his advice, and add some more thoughts:
- If it looks too good…: Sites that promise automatic and big profits in no-time should raise your first suspicion. There’s no easy money in this market. Sites that try to sell such products will usually have only one page that showing blinking dollars and no serious explanations. The graphics are usually “loud” and not humble.
- Talk to people: Casey suggests talking to people in the company and also with people that use the product to get an idea. In some cases, the people you’ll see in the promotion video will already look like clowns. In other cases, they will look serious, but you need to verify that they really stand behind their product.
- Google the product and search for problems: I’ll add that you easily do a Google search, and add words such as “sucks” or “scam” to the name of the product. If the search results yield too many convincing results, it isn’t only competitors that are complaining – it’s real people that have already suffered.
- Check the people on LinkedIn: The world’s leading professional network has a very wide audience. Searching for the people behind the company in Google will almost always yield the LinkedIn page in the first results. If the people behind the venture don’t have a profile on LinkedIn, that’s a problem. If they do, see who recommends them. Solid recommendations will help you feel better.
- Regulation: A serious participant in the market will be regulated by at least one authority. The American NFA is the toughest authority (sometimes too tough). A stamp from the NFA, FSA, CFTC or another reputed institute in a normal country doesn’t mean that the company is bona fide, but it’s better than nothing. Companies listed in some exotic island look suspicious.
- Demo account: As aforementioned here, a forex demo account is the basic broker check. Some robots can actually have an OK performance, but how can you know that? You need to check it out. Ask to try it without real money.
- Intuition: Well, at the end of the day, you get a feeling about the people on the other side. As you can see, the forex industry has lots of bad people in it. Contrary to the basic rule at court, where a person is innocent until proven otherwise, you should assume that everyone is guilty and that they need to prove their innocence to you.
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Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD trims gains, nears 1.1700
The EUR/USD pair eases in the American afternoon and approaches the 1.1700 mark. The pair surged earlier in the day after the ECB left interest rates unchanged and upwardly revised inflation and growth figures. The US CPI rose 2.7% YoY in November, nearing Fed’s goal.
GBP/USD steadies below 1.3400 as traders digest BoE policy update and US inflation data
The GBP/USD pair stalls the previous day's pullback from the vicinity of mid-1.3400s and a nearly two-month high, though it struggles to attract meaningful buyers during the Asian session on Friday. Spot prices currently trade around the 1.3380-1.3385 region, up only 0.05% for the day, amid mixed cues.
When is the BoJ rate decision and how could it affect USD/JPY?
The Bank of Japan will announce its interest rate decision between 03.30 and 05.00 GMT, followed by Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference at 06.30 GMT. USD/JPY trades on a negative note on the day in the lead up to the BoJ interest rate decision. The pair loses ground after data showed a softer-than-expected rise in US Consumer Price Index inflation.
Editors’ Picks
When is the BoJ rate decision and how could it affect USD/JPY?
The Bank of Japan will announce its interest rate decision between 03.30 and 05.00 GMT, followed by Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference at 06.30 GMT. USD/JPY trades on a negative note on the day in the lead up to the BoJ interest rate decision. The pair loses ground after data showed a softer-than-expected rise in US Consumer Price Index inflation.
AUD/USD consolidates above 0.6600 amid mixed cues
AUD/USD steadies above 0.6600 during the Asian session following the previous day's two-way price swings and a positive close. Against the backdrop of the RBA's hawkish stance, a positive risk tone is seen acting as a tailwind for the Aussie. The US Dollar, on the other hand, reverses the softer US CPI-led slide and stands firm near the top end of its weekly range, acting as headwind for the currency pair amid China's economic woes.
Gold edges lower despite Fed rate cut hopes on cooling US inflation
Gold price declines to below $4,350 during the early Asian trading hours on Friday. The precious metal edges lower due to some profit-taking and weak long liquidation from shorter-term futures traders.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP face sharp volatility as US posts lowest inflation rate in years
The latest inflation report released on Thursday in the United States sparked a wave of volatility in the crypto markets. The US Consumer Price Index rose 2.7% YoY in November, below forecasts of 3.1%, and lower than September's 3.0% reading, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Bank of England cuts rates in heavily divided decision
The Bank of England has cut rates to 3.75%, but the decision was more hawkish than expected, leaving market rates higher and sterling slightly stronger. It's a close call whether the Bank cuts again in February or March.
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The forex industry is recently seeing more and more scams. Here are 7 ways to avoid losing your money in such scams: Forex scams are becoming frequent. Michael Greenberg reports on luxurious expenses, including a submarine bought from the money taken from forex traders. Here’s another report of a forex fraud. So, how can we avoid falling in such forex scams?
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