Common Questions
A website says it is regulated. How can that be verified?
A claim of regulation on a website’s own pages carries no independent weight. The relevant check is the regulator’s public register, such as those maintained by the FCA, SEC, or CySEC, where a firm’s authorisation status, registration number, and permitted activities are listed and searchable.
What does it mean when a broker’s registered address cannot be found?
A trading website that lists a registered address which does not appear in company registry records, or that returns a virtual office with no physical presence, is worth treating with caution. Legitimate brokers can generally be traced through the company register of their stated jurisdiction.
Why do investment websites sometimes show fabricated profit figures?
Displayed account balances and profit charts on a trading platform exist only within that platform’s own system. They are not independently audited. A figure shown on a dashboard does not confirm that the corresponding funds exist or that a withdrawal would be processed.
Is a professional-looking website a reliable sign of a legitimate broker?
Website design is not evidence of regulatory standing. A polished interface, stock photography of trading floors, and convincing branding can be assembled quickly and cheaply. The distinction that matters is whether the firm appears on a regulator’s public register with the correct licence scope for the services it advertises.
How to Check a Site
01
Find the Licence Number
A broker’s regulatory licence number, if genuine, can be cross-referenced on the issuing regulator’s public register. The number on the website and the number in the register must match exactly.
02
Read the Ownership Details
Before depositing funds or submitting personal documents, identifying the legal entity behind the website matters. Company name, incorporation country, and directors can often be confirmed through national company registry searches.
03
Search Published Reviews
If other users have reported problems with a trading website, those accounts are often published in review databases and regulator warning lists. A site that appears on a regulator’s warning list warrants particular attention.
What the Reviews Cover
Each review published on TrustReviewer examines what a trading or investment website states about itself, then sets that against publicly available records, including regulator registers, company filings, and official warning lists. Where a discrepancy exists between a website’s claims and the public record, that discrepancy is noted and sourced. The aim is to give readers the same factual starting point that a financial journalist would use before writing about a firm.
Latest Reviews
Each entry covers what a trading website claims about itself and what public records show.