The vast majority of binary options
are scams and operate in illegal markets. You may be
surprised to learn that binary options are legal in the
United States but now illegal in the EU and the UK,
considering the various legal differences between financial
regulations in these regions. In fact, the bans on binary
options markets in the EU and the UK were only recently
implemented — the former in 2018 and the latter in 2019.
One important reason for the EU ban was the questionable
nature of the wide approval granted to numerous unethical
binary options brokers by the Cyprus Securities and
Exchange Commission.
From a compliance perspective, the highly regulated
environment in the United States makes participating in
binary options safer, but it does not eliminate the
inherently high-risk nature of binary options. There may be
no other market in the financial sector that is more
ridiculed by professional speculators and investors than
binary options. Know that binary options are more akin to
gambling than speculation, and they are truly a zero-sum
tool.
Binary Options Robot Scams
If you are a day trader or aspiring day trader
familiar with some of the world's largest speculative
and high-frequency trading markets, such as forex or
futures, you may be familiar with the prevalence of
robots (often referred to as "bots"). Binary options
robots are often sold as a way to manage your account.
This involves sharing your account information or API
to allow individuals or automated systems to trade on
your behalf. Binary options robot scams involve many
high-pressure sales tactics, false claims about returns
on investment and success rates, and graphic depictions
of a wealthy lifestyle resulting from using their
system.
Binary Options Software Scams
Software scams in the binary options space are
common and fall under the same umbrella as bots.
Depending on the software used for binary options (most
commonly done through a web browser), some software is
touted as "advanced artificial intelligence (AI)" or
"machine learning software," leading you to believe it
is an extremely sophisticated algorithm that generates
significant profits. Many software providers report
high returns — the returns for the software provider
come from selling their software to others, not from
success in the binary options market. As with bot
scams, beware of sales tactics and false lifestyle
images.
Binary Options Trading Scams
The number of trading scams in the binary options
space is enormous. Because some of the world's largest
regulatory agencies have banned binary options, many
former (and new) brokers have had to rebuild their
businesses in countries with little to no real
regulation. The widespread ban on binary options has
resulted in thousands of unregistered brokers
worldwide. Brokers within the binary options space are
often questioned about thoroughly fraudulent data
feeds. It's not uncommon to see bid and ask prices
swing wildly in the final milliseconds, leading to
significant losses on both sides of the trade! You can
avoid some trading scams by using only regulated
brokers, though there are few legitimate ones.
Binary Options Signal Scams
Signal scams are among the most common forms of
financial fraud and scams in today's markets. For the
binary options market, signal scams involve individuals
or companies selling you trade ideas (signals) in
exchange for a monthly fee. These signals are delivered
via text, email, or their website. The most popular
version of signal delivery in most markets is through
the chat platform Telegram. As with any financial
instrument, it's best to avoid signal providers — they
are only interested in making money from you as a
subscriber.
Fraud and losses in binary options? What to do below!
If you find yourself an unfortunate
victim of a binary options scam, you may feel like you have
no choice but to accept the loss and move on. Don’t let bad
actors steal your money and get away with it! There are
many ways to pursue the individuals and entities who took
your money. We are experienced in recovering funds from bad
actors like binary options fraudsters.
Some of the methods we use and have had success with
include chargebacks — working with you and your credit card
company to create a real and effective fraud report. We
work closely with you, and you will work with the same
caseworker throughout the process. Fill out our success
calculator to get started and check out your own
recommendations and reviews!
How to Avoid Binary Options
Trading Scams
1. Only use regulated brokers —
for the US, binary options fall under the jurisdiction
of the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and
the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission).
Legitimate brokers will openly disclose their license
numbers and reference national regulators and websites.
2. Do your due diligence — read user reviews from
various sources. Be wary of sites dedicated to
reviewing binary options brokers — they are likely
shell sites designed to steer you toward a specific
broker or a select few brokers.
3. If the broker is unregulated, check where the
broker is located — it's best to know which country the
company's headquarters are in.
4. If you do decide to venture into the binary
options market, test the broker’s data yourself. Review
the broker and ensure the data feed is genuine, with no
unusual price changes at expiration.
Are Binary Options Legal in the US?