How to check a broker entity and avoid a lookalike website
Verify the company behind an account and check its website and contact details against the relevant regulator record.
A familiar brand name does not identify every company that uses it. Before submitting documents or transferring money, establish which legal entity would open your account and which jurisdiction supervises that entity. This is especially important when a brand operates internationally.
Identify the entity in the application
Look at the application page, account agreement and legal footer. Record the company name, registration or licence number and country. Compare those details across the pages. A group logo and a general statement about regulation are less specific than the contract naming your counterparty.
Use the relevant official register
Where a regulated entity is claimed, visit that regulator's official website independently. Search the company record and check the services or permissions shown. A register entry should be read in context: it does not automatically establish that every product, country or group subsidiary is covered.
The UK's FCA warns that clone firms can copy details from a genuine business. Its guidance recommends checking contact details through its official register rather than trusting an unsolicited message. This UK guidance illustrates the verification problem; traders elsewhere should check their own relevant regulator and local rules.
Compare the website and contact information
A licence number can be copied. Check the actual domain spelling and the contact details against the regulator record when available. Avoid treating a padlock, professional layout or familiar logo as proof of legitimacy. Do not use contact details supplied only by someone claiming to represent the firm.
Save a short verification note
- Name the entity and the regulator you checked.
- Save the official record URL and the date checked.
- Record any country restrictions or unclear permissions.
- Keep the account agreement for the proposed account.
If details conflict, pause the application and seek clarification through independently verified contact information. Do not send passwords or API keys as part of a support conversation.
Forex.com.bd can help compare published broker information, but a comparison card is not a substitute for checking your proposed account. Availability, protections and products can change.
Reference: https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/clone-firms-individuals Reference: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/financial-services-register