Can You Recognize a Forex Scam? by Crystal Adelson

Scams for the Forex exchange are not as common as you may think, but they do exists. One example of an convicted scammer is Richard Matthews, a former foreign currency trader. It was in 2005 that Mr. Matthews plead guilty to wire fraud for a scheme that netted him more than $30 million. When the forex fraud was discovered, the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) sued Matthews and sought restitution of $14.8 million. The information in this article will provide you with some handy tips to help you recognize some of the forex scams that are out there today.Congress created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 1974 as an independent agency with the mandate to regulate commodity futures and option markets in the United States. The stated mission of the CFTC is to protect market users and the public from manipulation, fraud and criminal practices related to the sale of commodity and financial futures and options, and to foster open, competitive, and sound financial futures and option markets.CFTC is legally in charge of regulating the foreign exchange market of US. The CFTC works to ensure the integrity of the commodity and financial futures markets. It protects the public and market users from fraud, manipulation, and abusive practices while fostering an open marketplace for trading commodity futures as well as foreign currency. Some of the guidelines suggested by CFTC via its programs to avoid the forex scams are looked at in this article.If you plan on investing in forex, you should be knowledgeable about the future market users and the trends which may influence the forex trading. With the knowledge of this, you will be able to effectively ascertain the integrity of the claims made by the forex product manufactures and thus stay away from the Forex trade scams. It is important that the people involved in the forex trading are protected against forex schemes by sufficient legal proceedings; which is strongly suggested by CFTC. You need to be alert before stepping into any of the next levels in Forex exchange or while purchasing the forex materials until there are enough facts to prove otherwise. There are some manufacturers who target market people from a particular area by offering special concessions to them.Keep away from any forex trading involving Interbank Market because it is not very secure as it deals with currency transactions over a loose network. The interbank market is the top-level Forex market where banks exchange different currencies. Another warning signal of possible forex scams is when the concerned persons or companies try to coax you into transferring or sending money to them in a very short notice. Do not encourage unsolicited telephone calls in which companies or brokers claim they can provide you with the only best forex trading assistance available. Understanding more about futures trading will help you stay knowledgeable about the Forex market.The only funds that should ever be used to speculate in foreign currency trading, or any type of highly speculative investment, are funds that represent risk capital; in other words, funds you can afford to lose without affecting your financial situation. Forex trading is risky, don't be pressured into an immediate decision and always use your common sense before embarking in any type of trade. Keep away from those brokerage companies who ensure you a huge return and keep in mind that nothing in currency trading is risk free. Never use your hard-earned money, savings or retirement funds to invest in any Forex opportunity that claims you will be rich overnight.