CASE FILE · CFH-CS-03
Vector: clone of regulated firmInstrument: bank transferLoss: €92,000Location: Dublin, IrelandTimeline: 9 daysRecovered: 88%
Reported operator: ForTradeFX ↗
How it began
The firm used the name and licence number of a well-known regulated broker. Everything matched when I checked casually, so I wired a large sum.
The trap
It was a clone. The real firm had nothing to do with it. The licence number was copied to win exactly the trust it won from me.
I checked the licence. I just did not check it against the real register.
What we did
- We confirmed within hours that the licence belonged to an unrelated, legitimate firm.
- We triggered an authorised-push-payment recall through your bank before the funds dispersed.
- We alerted the regulator whose identity had been cloned.
- We documented the impersonation for your bank fraud team.
88%
recovered — fast action made the difference.
Red flags we saw
- Licence number that belongs to a different company
- Bank-transfer-only deposits
- Brand-new domain behind an “established” name
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