Know before you invest
Which Investment Sites Are Real, and Which Are Not
We publish independent reviews of trading and investment websites so you can check a platform before you commit funds.
Four Signs Worth Checking
- No verifiable registration number on the website or in its terms.
- The platform is absent from the FCA, CFTC, ASIC, or CySEC registers.
- Withdrawal requests are delayed, denied, or met with extra fee demands.
- The website domain was registered within the past twelve months under a privacy shield.
How to Read a Regulator Register
Every legitimate broker or exchange operating in a major jurisdiction must hold a licence that appears on a public register. The FCA register at register.fca.org.uk, the CFTC’s NFA BASIC tool, and ASIC’s professional registers are all free to search by firm name or registration number. If a platform claims regulation but returns no result on the relevant register, that is not an inconclusive finding. It is a clear warning. Cross-check the exact legal entity name shown in the platform’s terms, because scam sites often copy a real firm’s name with minor alterations.
Two Common Platform Types
Fake Brokers
A fake broker typically presents a professional-looking trading interface and accepts deposits without any intention of executing real trades. The firm name will not appear on any regulator’s public register, or it will appear as a clone of a legitimate, separately registered company. Promised returns are shown on screen but cannot be withdrawn. Checking WHOIS data often reveals the domain is very recently created.
Unregulated Exchanges
An unregulated crypto exchange may operate without any licensing in the jurisdictions where it accepts clients. It will rarely publish audited proof of reserves, and its terms of service are often vague about which law governs disputes. Searching the exchange name on the FATF or FinCEN databases, and checking whether it appears on any national blacklist, can reveal whether regulators have already flagged it.
Regulated vs Unregulated Platforms
| Feature | Regulated Platform | Unregulated Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator register entry | Publicly searchable and current | Absent or cloned from another firm |
| Complaint process | Formal ombudsman route exists | No independent escalation path |
A platform that cannot be found on any public regulatory register is not merely unverified. It is operating outside the frameworks designed to protect investors.
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Recent Reviews and Warnings
These are the trading and investment websites flagged most recently by independent research and reader reports.