I think I'm being scammed by my broker

not sure if this means anything, probably not, but it looks like the director in the link above is also director for another 30 companies , all of which he’s got nominated to Director in the past few months.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/LQZQohxMSiWS-37qfJOreUValZ4/appointments

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He’s got a bit of history, this article about another of his companies taking clients money then not fulfilling orders
https://www.printweek.com/print-week/news/1161770/another-new-identity-for-houseprint

And uses multiple identies
"Research into John Stuart’s business activities have revealed the print farmer operates under various names such as Neil Malcolm Stuart John, Neill John, Stuart Poppleton, Roger S Poppleton, Stuart Ralph Poppleton, and Roger Poppleton. While his partner in business activities Claire Hunnisett may also to have other names that including Clair Rosena Hunnisett, and Nicolle Kenzy."

@chicotico if I were you I would contact fca about this, possibly police as well

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Yes, it looks bad.
http://www.forexpeacearmy.com/forex-reviews/13025/cibfx-forex-broker

Not much feedback but what is there is negative.

Look, a broker regulated in the United States or United Kingdom, Australia, or anywhere else can still scam you. Look at the history of FXCM.

Regulation will not protect you. Due diligence might. A broker with a good reputation, even if they’re based in Belize, would still be my preference over a big broker that cheats you on swap fees, slippage, etc.

As a beginner trader though, the responsibility is purely yours for the trade you make. No one should be able to talk you into doing anything you’re not sure about. No one over a phone, on a forum, your mom or brother, is responsible for your trade. Just you.

That’s a heavy weight, but it’s a step every trader has to take eventually.

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Hi @clemmo,

We agree with you that due diligence is important. Therefore, how reliable is the reputation of a broker that avoids the strict regulation and oversight that come with operating in one of the major financial centers mentioned in our previous post? One challenge on the internet is that no one verifies whether the people posting broker reviews are real clients.

What’s to stop some obscure broker from trying to fake a reputation by having its employees post positive reviews for itself and negative reviews against its better known competitors? Have you ever wondered why some little known brokers seem to get great reviews online while more established brokers with clients around the world get poor reviews?

Focusing on brokers that are regulated by reputable government authorities where you live can go a long way to addressing these concerns. Key advantages of trading with a well-regulated broker are:

  • minimum financial and trading standards they must meet,
  • ongoing monitoring by the regulators to ensure compliance,
  • a framework for handling complaints from customers, and the
  • power to enforce actions against regulated brokers for violations.

For example, the CFTC and NFA set the requirements a broker must meet in order to offer forex trading to US residents. Though not an exhaustive list, this membership application will give you an idea of some of those requirements: Compliance Requirements for Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED) Applicants | NFA

  • In the US, forex is regulated by the CFTC and NFA, and brokers are required to maintain net capital of $20 million.
  • In the UK, forex trading is regulated by the FCA and funds are protected for up to £50,000 per client by the FSCS.
  • In Canada, forex trading is regulated by IIROC and funds are protected for up to $1 million per client by the CIPF.
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Fair points but let me rebut some of them.

What’s to stop some obscure broker from trying to fake a reputation by having its employees post positive reviews for itself and negative reviews against its better known competitors?

Small brokers cannot generate a large quantity of fake reviews without being exposed. I wouldn’t trust any broker that didn’t have hundreds of reviews over a number of years. Some brokers start off strong and finish weak.

How reliable is the reputation of a broker that avoids the strict regulation and oversight that come with operating in one of the major financial centers mentioned in our previous post?

How reliable were IronFX and FXCM in 2015? Both strictly ‘regulated’ and both later exposed as scamming their clients. Regulation is simply a bribe paid to financiers or to governments to permit the rental of their good reputations. Regulators are not springing surprise inspections on the brokers in question to test the veracity of their claims or their practices, they won’t intervene until there is a problem. The FX industry being what it is, there are crooks in both high and low places.

Focusing on regulated brokers might be a good heuristic for avoiding many of the scammers, but some reputable offshore brokers live on their reputations as fair dealers. Just as some small online merchants have a good reputation even though they don’t sell on Amazon or eBay, for example.

They key advantages you list are fine, until they are not. If there is another financial crisis, do you think the minimum capitalization standards are going to save traders in a regulated brokerage? Did it help the traders with Saxo bank when the Swissy un-pegged? Spoiler alert: no it did not.

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Unfortunately, not before it’s too late for some, as shown by several discussions on this forum including this one.

First, it’s important to note how regulations vary from one jurisdiction to another.

As mentioned in our previous post, funds deposited with IIROC-regulated brokers are protected for up to $1 million by the CIPF. Funds with FCA-regulated brokers are protected for up to £50,000 per client by the FSCS. There are several historical examples of how these protections have worked for traders in the past.

If you can open an account with a broker regulated in these regions, that’s a great advantage. Note that most FCA-regulated brokers will accept applications from clients even if they live outside the UK, and the same protections apply: Broker Recommendations for beginners

Furthermore, while jurisdictions like the US and Australia might not have protection funds like the UK and Canada, they place other financial requirements on brokers. CFTC- and NFA-regulated brokers are required to maintain net capital of $20 million. By contrast, unregulated brokers have no such requirements or oversight.

Seat belts don’t prevent 100% of injuries and fatalities in car crashes. It’s still wise to use them. Similarly, it’s wise to use well-regulated brokers for trading.

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I have to say - It doesn’t look well !

The Geezer is 77 ish ! and clearly has some issues with being a success in business.

A good many of his businesses seem to take “upfront” money off people then fail to deliver.

My guess is that OP never actually saw any of the “trades” he supposedly made which “were profitable”

My guess is that some sort of “Ponzi scheme” is being operated here,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme

although if OP gave permission for the Company to “Trade” on his behalf as @anon46773462 has pointed out, the cost of chasing someone down to prove “no such trades were ever made” - especially someone with a history of busting companies would seem to be rather futile.

However many thanks to @pieroleonardo for chasing down the Companies House info - most educational !

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@chicotico - How did you manage to get tangled up with this lot in the first place ? - Surely they never were “mainstream” - so did you find them ? or did they find you ? :confused:

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Mi advisor made me do the operation, after I requested withdrawal, but before this, and before requesting a withdrawal it was just almost all winning operations

Thanks! I’m already trying to contact some other affected clients from latin america, that looks reallyl strange by the way…

I probably signed up on an advertise in websites like investing.com or similar

Someone from the UK? It would be awesome if someone go to check the the supposed UK address: Reg num: 09762074. International House, 142 Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4EF

Thats just the registered address

His home address is about 180 miles from there

Seems too be quite a busy little address that ! - also seems to be a 2 bedroom flat, possibly operating as an accomodation address for a number of clients ? Here’s an example.

https://suite.endole.co.uk/explorer/postcode/sw7-4ef

So sorry about your loss @chicotico! What was the timeframe for all of this happening, if I may ask?

Oh that’s really frustrating! Open a trade on FPA with your details! Hope, this helps you.

Started with them around January, in April my advisor made me do a bad operation and after that, still April, started to be almost impossible to contact CIBFX or Optimizer Capital

You mean forex peace army??? I’m currently doing this if this is what you mean, thanks

I am sorry but you are right. You are dealing with a crook broker. But fault also lies in your hand too. Why did you talk about the withdrawal. You should have withdrawn without any consultation. You should part away with this broker immediately.

Yes, it is! FPA is very useful in this case! I hope, you’ll recover your money very soon.