Beware! SigmaForTrade is an offshore broker! Your investment may be at risk.
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SigmaForTrade is a Forex brokerage registered in the Marshall Islands. It provides the MT4 trading platform and a leverage of up to 1:50. The required minimum deposit is $500 which is quite high and twice the industry average. The selection of trading products is diverse and the spread on EUR/USD is 0.4 pips which is very low and favorable for traders.
SigmaForTrade regulation & safety of funds
According to the website the company behind the brokerage is registered in the Marshall Islands with a standard address we have seen countless other brokerages use. Here is a screenshot:
We read that the company behind the brokerage is registered with the name Sigma4Trade Ltd. A curios thing to note is that the brokerage presumably attempts to conceal its offshore location by only mentioning the capital of the Marshall Islands – Majuro. Furthermore, this company is among the four website that the Italian regulatory agency CONSOB issued a warning against on Monday. We stress the fact that the Marshall Islands has become a top-destination for would-be scammers due to its very liberal laws regarding the registering of companies. The government does not even require for someone to be physically there in order to register a company. Such a loophole has surely been noticed by many ill-minded brokers and utilized. Nonetheless, it’s safe to assume that the company behind the brokerage, irrespective of its legitimacy, does not fall under any regulatory oversight because the government of the Marshall Islands does not include Forex trading within its regulatory framework. The brokerage further gives grounds for questioning its legitimacy due to the lack of information on the website and in the terms and conditions. All this, including the offshore location of the brokerage and the regulatory warning by CONSOB highly incline us to suspect that potential clients of the brokerage may be open to substantial risk.
Traders needn’t have to worry themselves with such risk if they choose to trade with a brokerage regulated and authorized by a prestigious regulatory agency. Such agencies are the FCA in the UK or CySec in Cyprus which have been leading names in Forex trading for some time now. Their regulatory framework is composed of a number of strict rules which prevent clients from falling victims to fraud. Such rules include the segregation of accounts which assures that commingling with the client’s money is not possible. Furthermore, a license by such a regulatory body entails participation in a financial mechanism by which clients may be compensated if they suffer losses due to fraud or bankruptcy. With the FCA the compensation is up to 85 000 pounds, where as with CySEC it is up to 20 000 euro per person.
SigmaForTrade Trading Software:
Putting that aside, the brokerage states that it provides the MetaTrader 4 trading platform, including a web version. The MT4 is among the foremost trading terminals in Forex trading at the moment, close to 80 percent of users prefer it. The platform provides an advanced charting package, lots of technical indicators, extensive back-testing environment and a variety of Expert Advisors (EAs). Beginner traders will find the trading platform easy to use as well, due to its user-friendly layout. We were able to register for a demo account. Here is a screenshot:
As you can see – the brokerage offers a spread just 0.4 pips on EUR/USD which is quite low, especially compared to the industry average of a pip and a half. As a matter of fact – the unusually low spread makes us question whether there aren’t trading commissions since a broker cannot hope to yield much a profit if the cost of trading is so low. Having in mind the offshore location and the obvious warning by CONSOB we suspect that the trading conditions seen through the demo account do not relate to the actual conditions.
Sigma4Trade deposit/withdrawal methods and fees
Traders may deposit or withdraw only via the standard Visa, MasterCard, as well as popular e-wallets such as Neteller, Skrill, SOFORT, PaysafeCard, TrustPay, iDeal, Neosurf
We did not find provisions worth noting in the terms and conditions. We also did not find any withdrawal fees, however, this does not mean there aren’t any withdrawal fees necessarily. This is why we always advise traders to put up only the required minimum deposit, instead of risking a bigger amount with no certainty. Afterwards, they may also try to withdraw a small amount in order to check for any unexpected fees or delays. Such fees and delays are usually the signs of a scammer.
How does the scam work?
Unfortunately, the possibility of a scam looms over almost every trade in forex, especially if you are dealing with an unregulated brokerage. That is why we believe traders should be acquainted with the methods of a scam. Here is how it would typically go about:
Through clicking an ad with promises for fast money, you will be redirected to a website such as Bitcoin Evolution or Crypto Cash where registration will require you to give your address, email and phone number. After sharing your personal information, you will being receiving calls from brokers, compelling you to invest with them and win big. After a few minutes hearing their pitches, you decide to deposit some $200-250. And just like that – the scammers take a fat commission from this initial deposit.
After they are done with you, senior scammers begin working you into putting even more money. They say it’s the only way to profit from trading even more. After making the mistake of investing even further, you’ll begin wanting to get out of this and withdraw what you have left.
Unfortunately, the con-artists have no such thing in mind. They will now begin persuading you to wait it out and not withdraw right now. The motive here is quite straightforward – traders have a limited time window for filing a chargeback with their bank and get their money back. The “recovery department” will simply want to mislead you into missing this crucial period and, along the way, losing any chance you might have of getting the money back.
What to do when scammed?
As was mentioned above, scamming is quite the common in the trading world and, sadly, even you might suffer from it. In such an unfortunate case there still may be some available options for you.
You may contact your bank or credit card provider and file a chargeback. Furthermore, due to the high instances of fraud – both Visa and MasterCard have decided to sidestep scammers as best they can in Forex trading. The first thing we have seen so far is that MasterCard has increased the previous time period of six months for filing a chargeback to a year and a half.
If, however, you have provided the broker with your credit card details, immediately cancel your credit card.
If you have given information regarding your online banking pass – you should switch it asap!
Beware of potential calls from self-described “recovery agencies”! They prey on scammed and vulnerable traders who are desperate to recover their losses. They will require an “up-front” payment to help you, but after paying them, no such help will be coming your way!
