The best recovery is the one you never need. Before you deposit a single dollar with any broker or platform, run these five checks. They take about ten minutes.
1. Verify the licence on the regulator’s own site
Don’t trust a “regulated” badge on the platform. Go to the regulator it names and search their public register yourself. Confirm the licence exists, is current, and covers what the platform offers you.
2. Check for a clone
Scammers copy the names and licence numbers of real, regulated firms. If the contact details, domain, or payment instructions differ from the genuine firm’s, walk away.
3. Look up ownership and age
Who runs it? Where is it really based? How old is the domain and company? A brand-new domain making big promises is a warning sign.
4. Search for withdrawal complaints
Search the platform’s name with words like “withdrawal”, “scam”, and “can’t withdraw”. Patterns of blocked withdrawals and surprise “fees” are the clearest tell. Our Scam Brokers directory lists platforms already flagged.
5. Test a small withdrawal early
Before depositing more, withdraw a small amount. If that is delayed or blocked, you have your answer while the stakes are still low.
Not sure how to read what you find? Send us the platform and we will check it for free — that’s what Broker Verification is for.