Beware! Absolute Global Markets is an offshore broker! Your investment may be at risk.
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Absolute Global Markets is a Forex brokerage with unclear corporate information. It supports the MT4 trading platform and further provides clients with a wide range of trading options. The spread on EUR/USD is a bit above the industry average at 1.8 pips and the leverage extended to traders is at 1:500. The required minimum deposit is the industry average of $250
Absolute Global Markets regulation & safety of funds
As was noted above – the website of the brokerage does not contain clear corporate information. We could not find neither the name of the company, nor the registered address, only а Swiss contact address and a mention of Bulgarian laws in the terms and conditions of the broker. Needlessly going through the online registry of both the Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission and the Swiss FINMA we did not find any mention of the broker brand in question. This is a major red flag and exposes the ill-minded intentions of the brokerage. It’s safe to assume that the real company (whatever it is) behind the brokerage does not fall under any regulatory oversight. Furthermore, we warn clients that anonymity is another serious red flag in trading since the reputation of the company is a crucial factor in creating trust between the brokerage and the traders.
Putting that aside, the probable offshore location of the brokerage, the falsely presented information and the unspecified address 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.
Absolute Global Markets trading software
When it comes to the trading software the brokerage states that it provides the MetaTrader 4 which is something we always consider a big advantage for traders. We attempted to register for a demo account and and discovered a surprising range of trading options which include CFDs on currency pairs, indices, metals, commodities and stocks. However, we also saw a spread of 1.8 pips which is a bit above the industry average and what we would normally consider favorable. The required minimum deposit is the standard $250 and the brokerage does extend a very generous leverage which, however, hides the risk of the trader losing more than the initial deposit.
Absolute Global Markets deposit/withdrawal methods and fees
Potential clients of the brokerage may deposit or withdraw via the standard Visa and MasterCard, as well as bank wire.
Going through the terms and conditions of the broker we learn that there is a withdrawal fee of $50 for wire transfers, $35 for credit cards and $25 for e-wallets. Furthermore, a levy of 10 percent will be charged to any account that does not achieve a trading turnover of more than 200 or has not been verified. This provision is quite worrisome since brokers usually posit such requirements only for bonus promotions but it seems Absolute Global Markets is one step ahead of all the other scammers and ties any account with such dire requirements. On top of all this, there is also a minimum withdrawal requirement of $250 which further speaks only of the ill-minded intentions of the broker.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!
Fuck you all
This mother tucker. Puss idiots scammed me
Kristijan Labas
Can they catch you and sue you couse like they put 2k euros on bitcoin then call me when she close trade and earn only as she said 300 but now they want me to deposit 2k so they could take 2k they put back
Richard
Absolute Global Martket is a SCAM. DO NOT invest any money to this company. They asked me for deposit, than for more deposit and now when I was about to take my “profit” they asked me to pay again and when I refused to pay more I was not able to reach them at all. They are smart in a way that they build up a trust until you pay. But you will never be able to get your money back. DO NOT TRUST this company IT IS A SCAM.
panagiotis kantas
and I was asked to do something else …. another first-term investment / payment to protect me (they have ways) attention !!
Bob Cheetham
ABSOLUTE GLOBAL MARKET IS A COMPLETE SCAM ; my £250 became a staggering 37,450USD!! they get you excited and tell you to cash in but you have to deposit more money to get at the profit. They get very aggressive and want to take over your bank details using ‘ANY DESK’ Do Any Desk know they are being used by criminal gangs I wonder–I will be telling them to limit the activities of these crooks.IT IS A BIG SCAM
Asoka Jayasuriya
Beware of Absolute Global Markets. This is a criminal organization. They are into Money Laundering as well. Everyone who works there is a criminal. I started with the usual £250. I was assigned a manager Peter Schmidt. This criminal took me for a ride. He was making me money daily. Such a smooth talker. I really fell for him. He even got me to buy Shares. He offered me shares in Gilead saying that the company had offered 50000 Gilead share at a discount for their clients. At the time Gilead shares were $92 offered to AGM clients at $60. The minimum was 50 shares per and the max was 100 per client. I bought 50 at $60/ share $3000. I was told they held on to the share certificates. All transactions were done through a bitcoin exchange. The second share I bought was 20 Lockheed shares at $330 when the Market value was $380. Paid $6600 through the Bitcoin exchange. Then this criminal Peter Schmidt asks me to do a favour. He was making me money daily and my statement balance was $44000. I said sure. He said he had a friend who was not familiar with using computers and whether his friend could transfer £10500 to my bank account and he would instruct me. I gave him my bank details and a couple of days later the money was in my account. Peter Schmidt instructed me to transfer the money to a foreign bank. It never occurred to me that he was into money laundering until he asked me to do it again. This time I said I can’t do it as my bank will start questioning me. I decided to withdraw $20000 to which he agreed and gave me a date to withdraw. This is when the fun began. I had to deposit through a Bitcoin exchange 10% ie $2000 that will be returned to me. I did pay $2000 as advised. Then I get a call from their accounts department asking me to deposit a further $2000 to activate my blockchain. At this point, Peter Schmidt who had done his part was out of the picture. I had calls from two or three asking me to deposit the cash if I want to withdraw. Since I wasn’t responding they have blocked me from the site. My emails are returned and tried to get in touch with their compliance department. I have been completely blocked off from their site. How come these criminals operate so openly baffles me. Can anyone suggest what I can do?