What Happened?
AstroFX, a purported financial trading education platform, has recently been attempting to suppress reports and information regarding its controversial business practices. The company, which presents itself as a legitimate training provider in the world of forex trading, has been the subject of numerous allegations and complaints that expose a troubling side to its operations.
According to a recent review by FinRecoveryInc, AstroFX has been accused of fabricating credentials and presenting false licenses, a move that draws a stark contrast between its public image and the reality of its practices. The review highlights that AstroFX seemingly “prints out licenses like newspapers,” indicating that the company may have been using counterfeit or invalid certifications to appear more credible to unsuspecting clients.
In addition to these serious accusations, AstroFX has made considerable efforts to bury such damaging news, employing tactics aimed at suppressing online reviews and censoring negative feedback. This includes attempts to remove critical articles that point to the deceptive nature of its credentials and the questionable validity of its trading education services. These actions suggest an intentional effort to cover up past misdeeds while maintaining a facade of legitimacy, ultimately misleading potential investors and students who are unaware of the company’s true history.
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 AstroFX
| Number of Fake DMCA Notice(s) | 1 |
| Lumen Database Notice(s) | https://lumendatabase.org/notices/44270872 |
| Sender(s) | Muhammad Haris |
| Date(s) | Sep 2, 2024 |
| Fake Link(s) Used by Scammers | https://scambrokersreviews.com/forex-scams/astrofx-review/ |
| Original Link(s) Targeted | https://finrecoveryinc.org/astrofx-review-printing-out-licenses-like-newspapers/ |
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 AstroFX trying to hide?
AstroFX is a company that claims to provide financial trading education, particularly in forex (foreign exchange) trading. The firm has positioned itself as a high-profile brand, appealing to aspiring traders by offering courses, mentorship, and trading insights. Despite its polished image and extensive social media presence, AstroFX has faced a growing number of accusations and complaints regarding the legitimacy of its services and the authenticity of its credentials.
AstroFX has allegedly been attempting to conceal several pieces of adverse news and negative feedback that cast doubt on its legitimacy and business practices. Below are the key allegations and complaints that the company is believed to be hiding:
- Fake Licensing Allegations: According to a review by FinRecoveryInc, AstroFX has been accused of fabricating or misrepresenting licenses. The review explicitly states that AstroFX has been “printing out licenses like newspapers,” suggesting that the company has used fake or invalid certifications to give the appearance of being a regulated and legitimate financial education provider. This deception undermines its credibility and raises questions about the integrity of its operations.
- Misleading Clients with False Credentials: The company has been criticized for misleading clients by presenting false credentials, creating the illusion of being more qualified and legitimate than it truly is. This form of deception can lure unsuspecting traders into buying into their courses or mentorship programs, often at significant cost, without delivering on the promises of quality education or regulated expertise.
- Complaints About Poor Quality Education: There are numerous complaints from former clients who claim that the educational material provided by AstroFX is subpar and lacks the value that was promised. Many have voiced dissatisfaction with the content, suggesting that it does not provide the level of trading insight or profitability claimed in the company’s marketing.
- Suppression of Negative Reviews and Feedback: AstroFX appears to have engaged in tactics to suppress negative reviews and online complaints. It has allegedly attempted to remove or bury negative feedback on platforms where customers have shared their experiences, portraying an image of universal customer satisfaction while avoiding accountability for legitimate grievances.
- Questionable Business Practices: The company’s emphasis on social media marketing, combined with allegations of deceptive tactics, suggests a focus on projecting a glamorous lifestyle rather than providing real trading value. This has led to allegations that AstroFX is more interested in selling the illusion of success rather than equipping clients with actual trading skills.
In summary, AstroFX has attempted to hide serious allegations about fake licensing, misleading credentials, poor-quality educational services, and efforts to suppress damaging feedback. These actions raise significant concerns about the legitimacy of its services and the overall credibility of the company, leading many to view it as a potentially deceptive operation that preys on aspiring traders.
Only AstroFX benefits from this crime.
Since the fake copyright takedown notices were designed to remove negative content for AstroFX from Google, we assume AstroFX or someone associated with AstroFX is behind this scam. It is often a fly-by-night Online Reputation agency working on behalf of AstroFX. In this case, AstroFX, 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 AstroFX (or actors working on behalf of AstroFX), we will inform AstroFX of our findings via Electronic Mail.
Our preliminary assessment suggests that AstroFX may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from AstroFX, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to AstroFX 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 AstroFX 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 AstroFX made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and our original review of AstroFX, including but not limited to user contributions, remain a permanent record for anyone interested in AstroFX.
A case perfect for the Streisand effect…
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Potential Consequences for AstroFX
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 AstroFX Committing a Cyber Crime?
Yes, it seems so. AstroFX 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. AstroFX 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 AstroFX 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. AstroFX 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.
