Gulf Brokers Intel Report

What Happened?

We recently discovered through the Google Transparency Report that a negative article on Gulf Brokers had been illegally removed from the Google Search Index or tried to be removed after a fake DMCA notice was sent to Google.

Contents

What Happened?Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)Evidence and Screenshots What were Gulf Brokers trying to hide?

Frivolous defamation cases aren’t the only tools influential people use to silence investigative journalism. Reporters worldwide, including those at Critical Intel and in its network, also face bogus accusations of copyright infringement aimed at getting hard-hitting stories taken down or de-indexed by search engines like Google.

DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) was imposed in 1998. The Act checks copyright infringement by criminalizing re-publication or representation of the copyright protected content. DMCA also, criminalizes the act of circumventing the DRM measures and safeguards the online content creators.

Gulf Brokers appears concerned about sensitive information posted online and has decided to take action. In this article, we’ll look into what happened, including how we determined that the takedown requests were fake, the likely reason for abusing the DMCA process, and the possible effects of organized takedown attempts.

Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)

By analyzing the fake DMCA notices, we hope to shed light on the reputation management industry, revealing how Gulf Brokers 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…

Evidence and Screenshots

Only Gulf Brokers Benefit from this crime..

Since the fake copyright takedown notices were designed to remove negative content for Gulf Brokers from Google, we assume that either Gulf Brokers directly or someone associated with Gulf Brokers is behind this scam. It is often a fly-by-night Online Reputation agency working on behalf of Gulf Brokers. In this case, Gulf Brokers, 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.

So, who is Gulf Brokers?

Gulfbrokers.com, a Seychelles-based broker offering trading in forex, commodities, and CFDs, has faced several customer complaints and concerns. Major issues include:

Regulatory oversight: While the Seychelles Financial Services Authority regulates Gulf Brokers, some traders feel this does not offer sufficient protection compared to brokers regulated by more stringent financial authorities(Forex Peace Army).

High-pressure deposit tactics: Several users report that after initial successful trades, they were pressured to deposit more money. Following these deposits, many experienced significant losses, with trades turning negative, leading to financial loss and frustration (Scam Detector) (Forex Peace Army).

Difficulty withdrawing funds: Some users have raised concerns about challenges in withdrawing their money, which adds to the frustration of those who already experienced financial losses (Scam Detector).

Mishandling of investments: Some clients complain about mismanagement of funds and poor financial advice, which led to substantial losses, sometimes as much as 100% of their investments (Scam Detector).

Potential Consequences for Gulf Brokers

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 involve passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states, including Florida, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.

Additionally, under Florida law, “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 Gulf Brokers Committing a Cyber Crime?

Gulf Brokers used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’s search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Gulf Brokers could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Gulf Brokers have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Gulf Brokers is certainly keeping interesting company here….

The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.

Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.

What were Gulf Brokers trying to hide?

Gulfbrokers.com has faced various accusations of fraudulent practices, which primarily revolve around the following issues:

Loss of funds through manipulative trading practices: Some users claim that after making initial profits, they were encouraged to deposit more funds. Subsequently, their trades turned negative, leading to significant financial losses. This pattern has raised concerns that trades may be manipulated to cause losses after users have committed more money(Scam Detector)(Forex Peace Army).

Withdrawal difficulties: Numerous users have reported issues with withdrawing their funds, accusing the platform of making the withdrawal process unnecessarily difficult or slow. In some cases, users allege that they were unable to withdraw any money at all, which is a common red flag in investment scams(Scam Detector).

Pressure to reinvest after losses: Many users claim they were pressured to reinvest even after incurring heavy losses, with brokers promising better returns if they continued. This tactic is seen as a way to keep investors trapped in a cycle of losses(Forex Peace Army).

Regulatory concerns: While Gulf Brokers is regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA), this regulator is not viewed as stringent as others from more established financial centers. This has led some to question the level of investor protection offered(Forex Peace Army).

Think twice before giving your money to Gulf Brokers (and its partner in Dubai, K&V Group). Their marketing claims of secure investments are misleading. Investing inherently involves risks, and some losses are expected. However, losing 100% of my investment due to Gulf Brokers’ mishandling of funds and poor financial advice is unacceptable. Then they blamed me for their mistakes and refused to take responsibility for the losses. Beware of their hidden fees and charges that were not explained at the beginning. Their brokers lack the experience and professionalism to manage investments effectively. I lost over 60K USD with their recommendations of investing in commodities and stocks in just 2 months.

more at https://www.trustpilot.com/review/gulfbrokers.com?stars=1