Forex Affiliate Scams: Why New Forex Traders Are Prime Victims?

Forex Affiliate Scams

The Forex market, also known as the FX market, is one of the most liquid and highly volatile money markets. It is one of the most sought-after markets, with daily trading volumes exceeding $7.5 trillion.

Several FX brokers and brokerage firms offer extra cash to their users for promotion. However, several scammers impersonate FX brokers and brokerage firms and entice their victims through forex affiliate scams.

If you are interested in creating wealth through the FX market, then go through this article and learn how to spot a forex scammer and forex affiliate program scams.

Table of Contents

What is a Forex Affiliate Program?

The Forex market is a highly liquid, volatile, and lucrative money market. The FX market is practically open 24/7 due to differences in time zones. Besides this, several Forex brokers and brokerage firms offer legitimate Forex Affiliate Programs.

Forex brokers and brokerage firms clearly mention affiliate programs in their terms and conditions documents. This program works by promoting or referring new investors to these brokers and brokerage firms.

Those who are clients of Forex brokers interested in these affiliate programs receive a link that needs to be sent to new investors. Thus, these brokers can track the number of signups. As a result, these affiliate programs offer a passive income by referring new investors to these FX brokers. Scammers know this, and they too promote their fake affiliate program.

Common Forex Affiliate Scams Every Trader Should Know

Scammers are smart and use deceptive tactics to lure in their potential victims and bleed them financially. Once victimized, they not only lose their hard-earned money but also their mental peace. However, you can avoid these situations if you keep your mind open and go through the website carefully.

1. Guaranteed Profits? The Biggest Lie in Forex Affiliate Scams

Any business cannot promise unrealistic and guaranteed profit. There are always ups and downs depending upon the business cycle and economic conditions. Scammers, on the other hand, offer unrealistic and guaranteed profits. This is a sure sign of an impending scam.

2. Fake Trading Bots and Signal Scams

To seal the deal, scammers will make a fake claim of “insider trading” or boast of a fake trading bot. They promote these fake promises with the intention of lulling their victims into a false sense of financial security. They say that any money invested in their “firm” will only result in wealth creation and no losses are guaranteed. You need to watch out for these foreign exchange trading scams when you come across a business opportunity.

3. Imposter Brokers in Forex

With the use of AI tools, scammers impersonate genuine brokers and trading platforms. If someone promotes an investment opportunity through emails, messages, or texts from a reputable and trusted FX brokerage, avoid clicking on the link and Google the name. Scammers create fake websites and promote them through emails, messages, or texts.

4. "Recruit More, Earn More" - That's a Scamming Tactic

You can be sure it's a fake forex affiliate program if the sales agent is stressing more about how much money you will make through these affiliate programs instead of trading. Listen to the agent carefully to understand if it's a Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme.

In a Ponzi scheme, older investors are paid through the money invested by new investors. In a pyramid scheme, you are made a fake promise of earning a percentage of money every time you recruit and/or the person whom you have recruited recruits a new investor. In both cases, scammers make more money, and the system collapses when there are no new investors.

Spotting the Red Flags: How to Spot a Forex Affiliated Scammer?

Common forex affiliate scams and currency trading fraud follow a pattern of an impending financial disaster for you as an investor.

1. Lack of Regulation

The government of every country ensures that the financial interests of its citizens are safeguarded. Thus, every Forex broker needs a certificate from the government or from a private firm that assures that the broker is regulated. A fake forex broker does not have such certification. If the forex broker fails to produce a certification of regulation, then you can be sure it's a forex scam.

2. Aggressive, Unverifiable Claims

Scammers use a high-pressure sales pitch and coercive language to convince you to sign up very quickly. They will use financial jargon to appear to be experts in their field. They will avoid how your money is invested in the business and focus more on how much money you will be making. To support their fake business model, they will provide you with a fake portfolio that shows that they have always been making huge profits. 

3. Pressure to Deposit Funds Immediately

Another common Forex affiliate scam is that the sales agent is in a hurry to close the deal quickly. They will offer you a fake once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or limited offer to invest immediately and make more money through fake freebies.

4. Withdrawal Issues & Hidden Fees

Scammers ensure that once a victim falls for their scam, they will bleed every drop of blood financially. When a victim wishes to withdraw money from their trading account, the scammer will ask for hidden charges such as fake withdrawal fees and withdrawal tax. These tactics are the ultimate forex trading scam.

Protecting Your Investments from Forex Affiliate Scams

One of the best ways to avoid foreign exchange trading scams and forex affiliate program scams is to check for these telltale signs listed below:

  • Verify Broker Credentials: Always check regulatory status. Do the research and background check of the interested broker. Visit the Better Business Bureau to check if they are blacklisted.
  • Thorough Due Diligence: Research the affiliate and their claims. Go online and check their reviews on Trustpilot, Reddit, and Quora.
  • Beware of Unsolicited Offers: Any unsolicited offers made on calls, texts, messages, and social media platforms must be taken with a grain of salt. Be wary of tall claims made by the sales agent.
  • Start Small & Test Withdrawals: A cautious approach is recommended; never disclose how much you are willing to invest. Invest a small amount, and after a few days, try to withdraw. Do this a couple of times to check for hidden charges.

Reporting Forex Affiliated Scams: Step-by-Step Action Plan

When you fall victim to an FX fraud, take these steps immediately. The steps below are common to everyone and only differ in the way these scams are reported to their respective governments.

  • Make a detailed report of the scam, and do not forget to add screenshots, and correspondence shared by the scammer
  • Visit your local police agency and file a report
  • Contact the bank and provide them with the details of the scam. Request them to reverse any transactions made to the scammer's account.
  • Contact the credit rating bureau and request a temporary freeze on all your accounts. Request a free annual report and go through the entire report and check for any unauthorized or suspicious entries. Report immediately when you find one.
  • For United States (US) Citizens: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the National Futures Association (NFA)
  • For United Kingdom (UK) Citizens: Contact Action Fraud and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • For Canadian Citizens: Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and Provincial Securities Regulators.

You can always reach out to us at Financial Options Recovery, a fraud recovery expert. We have the necessary state-of-the-art hardware and software and a dedicated team of experts. With the use of financial forensics and a team of dedicated professionals, we will help recover your stolen money.

Trade Smart, Stay Secure from Forex Affiliate Scams

Scammers are smart; they won’t always impersonate an FX broker. Sometimes, they will make you a victim of a romance scam on a dating app. You need to be on guard while sharing your personal information online, especially with strangers.

One of the latest scams involves cryptocurrencies, where you can also access forex through the same broker for unrealistic profits.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

No, many legitimate forex brokers offer affiliate programs. However, scams occur when affiliates use unethical means or promote unregulated brokers.

Unknown affiliates might promote unregulated or scam brokers solely for commissions, not your financial safety.

They use SEO manipulation, clickbait titles, social media ads, and misleading YouTube videos to lure users.

Yes, legitimate brokers offer demo accounts; if a broker doesn’t or pushes quick deposits, it’s a red flag.

It’s best to avoid direct contact and instead report them to the authorities and the platform they’re operating on.

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