What Happened?
ACY Securities, a well-known forex and CFD broker, has recently come under fire for allegedly attempting to conceal a questionable history and suppress negative feedback from the trading community. Despite marketing itself as a transparent and trustworthy broker, ACY Securities has faced numerous complaints from traders, ranging from poor customer service to issues with trade execution and withdrawals.
Some users have raised concerns about irregularities in their trading accounts, with accusations of delayed withdrawals and discrepancies in order execution. Additionally, allegations suggest that ACY Securities may be manipulating spreads or slippage during volatile market conditions, resulting in unexpected losses for its clients. These practices have prompted some traders to question the broker’s transparency and fairness.
What raises further suspicion is ACY Securities’s reported attempts to censor negative news and user reviews. Several sources claim that the company has actively worked to remove or downplay unfavorable reviews on forums and review sites, raising questions about its commitment to addressing client concerns. This approach, combined with the allegations of poor trading practices, has prompted skepticism about ACY Securities’s integrity and the true nature of its operations.
For traders considering ACY Securities, the allegations and efforts to hide negative feedback signal a need for caution and thorough research before engaging with the platform.
Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)
Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.
List of Fake Copyright Notices for ACY Securities
| Number of Fake DMCA Notice(s) | 1 |
| Lumen Database Notice(s) | https://lumendatabase.org/notices/44100534 |
| Sender(s) | FusionPoint Technologies.Co |
| Date(s) | Aug 26, 2024 |
| Fake Link(s) Used by Scammers | https://acy.com/en |
| Original Link(s) Targeted | https://www.fxstreet.com/company/acy-securities |
Evidence and Screenshots
How do we investigate fake DMCA notices?
To accomplish this, we utilize the OSINT Tool provided by FakeDMCA.com and the Lumen API for Researchers, courtesy of the Lumen Database.
FakeDMCA.com is the work of an independent team of research students and cybersecurity professionals, developed under Project UnCensor. Their OSINT Tool, designed to uncover and analyze takedown notices, represents a significant step forward in combating these abusive practices. It has become a valuable resource, increasingly relied upon by journalists and law enforcement agencies across the United States.
Lumen, on the other hand, is an independent research initiative dedicated to studying takedown notices and other legal demands related to online content removal. The project, which operates under the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, plays a crucial role in tracking and understanding the broader implications of such requests.
What was ACY Securities trying to hide?
ACY Securities is an Australian-based forex and CFD broker that provides trading services for a variety of financial instruments, including currencies, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Founded in 2011, the broker promotes itself as a transparent and reliable platform offering competitive spreads, fast execution, and access to a wide range of markets. ACY Securities has positioned itself as a broker for both retail and institutional clients, offering advanced trading platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, alongside various educational tools and market analysis.
However, despite its efforts to maintain a reputable public image, ACY Securities has faced increasing scrutiny due to various complaints and allegations from traders, suggesting that the broker may not be as transparent as it claims.
Despite its polished image, ACY Securities has been linked to several issues and complaints from traders, many of which the broker appears to be attempting to suppress. Here is a breakdown of the adverse news, bad reviews, and allegations that ACY Securities is reportedly trying to keep out of public view:
1. Withdrawal Delays and Fund Access Issues
One of the most significant complaints from traders revolves around delays in withdrawing funds. Numerous users have reported issues with accessing their money after profitable trades, experiencing long waiting times or unexplained rejections of withdrawal requests. For traders, timely and reliable withdrawals are a critical indicator of a broker’s trustworthiness, and ACY Securities’ failure to consistently meet these expectations has raised concerns about its liquidity and business practices.
Several clients have noted that when they attempt to withdraw funds, they are met with excuses or unexplained technical issues that delay the process, causing frustration and suspicion about whether the broker is attempting to avoid paying out profits.
2. Allegations of Spread Manipulation and Slippage
Another key issue that traders have reported is the manipulation of spreads and slippage during high-volatility market conditions. Some users claim that ACY Securities widens spreads without warning, particularly during news releases or periods of high market activity, which results in trades being executed at unfavorable prices. This practice often leads to unexpected losses for traders, especially those using short-term trading strategies or high leverage.
Additionally, slippage—the difference between the expected price of a trade and the price at which it is executed—has been reported as a recurring problem. Traders allege that ACY Securities may be manipulating slippage to disadvantage clients, particularly during volatile markets. Such practices have led to growing dissatisfaction among users, many of whom believe that the broker is not providing a fair and transparent trading environment.
3. Poor Customer Service and Support
Numerous traders have complained about the quality of ACY Securities’ customer support, citing long response times, unhelpful staff, and an overall lack of resolution when issues arise. This lack of responsiveness is particularly frustrating for traders who are dealing with urgent issues, such as problems with withdrawals, technical errors, or discrepancies in trade execution.
Effective and timely customer support is essential for any brokerage, especially during periods of market volatility or when clients encounter significant problems. ACY Securities’ failure to provide adequate support has led many to question its commitment to customer satisfaction and service.
4. Unclear Regulatory Status in Offshore Markets
While ACY Securities operates under Australian regulation via the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), there are concerns about its operations in other markets, particularly in offshore regions. Offshore brokers often face less stringent regulatory requirements, which can lead to lapses in client protection and accountability. This has raised concerns about whether ACY Securities is fully compliant in all jurisdictions where it offers services.
Traders have pointed out that when dealing with brokers operating in multiple jurisdictions, it is important to ensure strong regulatory oversight across the board. The perceived lack of transparency in ACY Securities’ offshore operations has added to the skepticism surrounding the broker’s practices.
5. Alleged Attempts to Censor Negative Reviews and Feedback
One of the more concerning allegations against ACY Securities is its reported efforts to censor negative feedback and bad reviews. Several traders have claimed that their critical reviews were removed or suppressed on public forums and review websites. This effort to control the narrative and remove unfavorable content has led to accusations that ACY Securities is trying to hide its operational issues rather than address them openly.
Such censorship attempts raise questions about the broker’s transparency and commitment to resolving customer complaints. A trustworthy broker should welcome feedback, both positive and negative, and work to resolve legitimate concerns raised by its clients, rather than suppress or ignore them.
6. Inconsistent Trade Execution and Platform Issues
Another area of concern for traders using ACY Securities is inconsistent trade execution and platform-related issues. Some users have reported delays in order execution, which can be detrimental during fast-moving markets where seconds matter. Technical glitches and platform crashes during critical trading periods have also been reported, leaving traders unable to manage their positions effectively and leading to losses.
While technical issues can happen on any platform, the frequency of these complaints, coupled with poor customer support, has frustrated many users. Some traders feel that the broker’s infrastructure is not robust enough to handle high volumes of trades or volatile market conditions.
Despite promoting itself as a transparent and reliable broker, ACY Securities has been linked to a number of complaints that suggest otherwise. Issues such as withdrawal delays, spread manipulation, poor customer support, and technical problems have led to growing dissatisfaction among traders. Additionally, the broker’s reported attempts to censor negative reviews and feedback raise concerns about its willingness to address legitimate client complaints openly.
For potential traders, these red flags suggest a need for caution when dealing with ACY Securities. While the broker may offer some attractive features, the underlying issues and allegations indicate that there may be deeper problems with its operations. Thorough research, including reading uncensored reviews and feedback from actual users, is essential for anyone considering opening an account with ACY Securities.
Only ACY Securities benefits from this crime.
Since the fake copyright takedown notices were designed to remove negative content for ACY Securities from Google, we assume ACY Securities or someone associated with ACY Securities is behind this scam. It is often a fly-by-night Online Reputation agency working on behalf of ACY Securities. In this case, ACY Securities, at best, will be an “accomplice” or an “accessory” to the crime. The specific laws may vary depending on the jurisdiction. Still, the legal principle generally holds that if you actively participate in planning, encouraging, or facilitating a crime, you can be charged with it, even if you did not personally commit it.
How do we counteract this malpractice?
Once we ascertain the involvement of ACY Securities (or actors working on behalf of ACY Securities), we will inform ACY Securities of our findings via Electronic Mail.
Our preliminary assessment suggests that ACY Securities may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from ACY Securities, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to ACY Securities to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.
Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –
- Inform Google about the fraud committed against them.
- Inform the victims of the fake DMCA about their websites.
- Inform relevant law enforcement agencies
- File counter-notices on Google to reinstate the ‘removed’ content
- Publish copies of the ‘removed’ content on our network of 50+ websites
By investigating the fake DMCA takedown attempts, we hope to shed light on the reputation management industry, revealing how ACY Securities and companies like it may use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking them to allegations of fraud, tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking…
Since ACY Securities made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and our original review of ACY Securities, including but not limited to user contributions, remain a permanent record for anyone interested in ACY Securities.
A case perfect for the Streisand effect…
Potential Consequences for ACY Securities
Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.
Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.
Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.” Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).
Is ACY Securities Committing a Cyber Crime?
Yes, it seems so. ACY Securities used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’
