AGlobalTrade

A summary of what happened?

AGlobalTrade is a controversial online trading platform accused of fraudulent practices and operating without proper regulatory oversight. Over time, many allegations have surfaced against the platform, and it has been accused of attempting to censor information, primarily negative reviews and complaints from users who feel victimized. AGlobalTrade’s actions have drawn criticism, and many have labeled it a scam designed to exploit investors, particularly those new to online trading.

Who is AGlobalTrade?

AGlobalTrade presents itself as an online broker offering various trading opportunities, including forex, commodities, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. The platform claims to provide users with access to the global financial markets and promises opportunities for high returns. However, despite its marketing pitch, AGlobalTrade operates without regulation from recognized financial authorities, which raises red flags regarding the safety and legitimacy of the platform.

Regulation is crucial for any financial platform because it ensures that the entity adheres to industry standards, protecting clients’ interests. Regulated brokers are typically required to keep client funds separate from operational funds, submit to regular audits, and offer dispute resolution mechanisms. Unfortunately, AGlobalTrade’s lack of regulation has made it a breeding ground for fraud allegations, with numerous individuals and reviewers suggesting that the platform operates like a Ponzi scheme, focused on defrauding users rather than offering legitimate financial services.

Censorship Allegations

AGlobalTrade has been accused of actively trying to suppress negative information about its operations. This includes taking down unfavorable reviews, blocking users who post critical feedback, and using legal threats against individuals who speak out about their experiences. By attempting to censor the internet, AGlobalTrade hopes to maintain its appearance as a reputable broker, preventing potential users from being dissuaded by the growing number of complaints.

This kind of censorship is particularly concerning in the financial industry because transparency is key to building trust. Legitimate brokers often rely on their positive reputation, compliance with regulations, and client feedback to grow their business. AGlobalTrade’s strategy of silencing critics rather than addressing their concerns only adds to the suspicions surrounding the platform.

Major Concerns, Complaints, and Accusations

There are numerous concerns and accusations against AGlobalTrade, and they are broadly categorized into three key areas:

1. Withdrawal IssuesOne of the most common complaints from users is the difficulty in withdrawing funds. Many users have reported that while depositing money into their AGlobalTrade account is easy, attempting to withdraw funds becomes a drawn-out, frustrating process. There are allegations that AGlobalTrade intentionally delays or blocks withdrawals in order to retain users’ funds, with some people waiting months without success.

   A frequent pattern reported by users is that AGlobalTrade representatives will become unresponsive or continually provide excuses when withdrawal requests are made. These excuses range from needing additional verification documents to outright ignoring communication attempts. This has left many investors feeling trapped, unable to access their capital or any profits they might have made.

2. Misleading Advertising and Deceptive PracticesAGlobalTrade lures potential investors with aggressive marketing strategies that promise quick, easy profits. The platform often targets inexperienced traders, offering them exaggerated claims of success and guaranteed returns. These promises of easy money are a hallmark of fraudulent trading schemes, as no legitimate trading platform can guarantee consistent returns due to the inherent risks involved in financial markets.

   Users have also reported that once they’ve made an initial deposit, they are pressured into depositing more funds, sometimes under the guise of accessing better trading conditions or higher returns. Customer representatives may suggest that larger investments will lead to more significant profits, all while failing to inform clients of the risks involved. Some users have even been coerced into borrowing money to increase their deposits, leading to devastating financial consequences when they are unable to recover their investments.

3. Lack of Regulation and OversightAGlobalTrade operates without the oversight of any recognized financial regulatory body. In many countries, financial authorities like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the U.S. regulate brokers to ensure they meet standards designed to protect investors. These regulations ensure transparency, require brokers to segregate client funds, and mandate fair practices.

   AGlobalTrade’s lack of regulation means that it does not follow these standard practices, and clients have no recourse when things go wrong. In the event of fraud or disputes, users of unregulated platforms often find themselves without any legal protection or compensation avenues. Legitimate trading platforms take pride in their regulatory status and transparency, whereas AGlobalTrade’s opaque operations are a significant cause for concern.

Additional Accusations

Beyond the major complaints mentioned above, there are other accusations levied against AGlobalTrade:

• Manipulation of Trades: Some users allege that the platform manipulates trades, ensuring that their positions are closed at a loss or that trades are delayed, leading to unexpected losses. This is particularly concerning as it implies that the platform has control over user outcomes, furthering the argument that it’s not operating as a legitimate trading venue.
• Hidden Fees and Charges: Users have reported that AGlobalTrade imposes unexpected fees and charges that are not disclosed upfront. These fees are often taken from the account balance without explanation, further reducing the user’s ability to withdraw their funds.
• Unresponsive Customer Support: Another recurring complaint is the unresponsiveness of AGlobalTrade’s customer service. Once users encounter issues, especially related to withdrawals, customer support either becomes difficult to reach or outright ignores their concerns. This lack of communication leaves users feeling abandoned and further fuels suspicions of fraud.

The Bigger Picture: Why Censorship?

AGlobalTrade’s attempts to censor negative reviews and feedback about the platform are seen as a desperate measure to protect its reputation and continue attracting new victims. By removing or burying critical information, they aim to maintain an illusion of legitimacy. This strategy is particularly effective in the online trading world, where new users often rely on reviews and online forums to choose a broker. However, the platform’s inability to address the actual concerns of users, opting instead to silence them, only deepens the perception that it is not operating in good faith.

Censorship, in this case, undermines transparency and prevents potential investors from making informed decisions. It allows the platform to continue preying on uninformed users who are unaware of the mounting complaints and accusations against it. In the long term, such censorship efforts may delay the platform’s downfall, but it also serves as a red flag for anyone considering investing their money with AGlobalTrade.

AGlobalTrade’s growing list of complaints, accusations, and its efforts to censor critical information are alarming. Users report significant difficulties withdrawing funds, misleading marketing practices, and a lack of regulation, all of which point to the platform being a high-risk, potentially fraudulent entity. Its strategy of suppressing negative reviews only adds to the suspicions, as legitimate brokers typically welcome transparency and resolve client concerns openly. Investors should approach platforms like AGlobalTrade with extreme caution, and consider the many red flags before entrusting their money to an unregulated, opaque entity.

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.

What was AGlobalTrade trying to hide?

AGlobalTrade‘s attempts to hide unfavourable content through the misuse of copyright notices while allegedly engaging in perjury present serious legal concerns. These actions suggest a calculated attempt to manipulate legal systems to suppress free speech, a fundamental violation of copyright law principles and an abuse of legal processes. The use of such tactics not only undermines the integrity of copyright protection but also potentially constitutes perjury, further entangling AGlobalTrade in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information AGlobalTrade may be trying to remove from the internet –

1. Withdrawal Issues

Many users report difficulty in withdrawing funds from the platform, with complaints ranging from lengthy delays to complete refusals. Some users state that their requests were ignored, and others were given misleading reasons for the delays, creating frustration and suspicion that the platform is trying to keep their money.

2. Unregulated Operations

AGlobalTrade operates without being regulated by any recognized financial authority, which is a major red flag. Legitimate brokers are typically regulated by organizations like the FCA or SEC, ensuring client protection and adherence to industry standards. Without such oversight, users have no guarantee that their funds are safe or that the platform operates transparently.

3. High-Pressure Sales Tactics

Several users accuse AGlobalTrade of employing high-pressure sales tactics to persuade them to deposit more money. These tactics often involve promises of larger returns and better trading opportunities, which often lead users to invest beyond their comfort level. Once funds are deposited, however, the promised returns seldom materialize.

4. Hidden Fees

Complaints regarding hidden fees are common. Users report being charged unexpected costs, such as additional service fees or commission charges, that were not disclosed upfront. These fees are deducted from account balances without prior notification, reducing the amount of money users can withdraw.

5. Unresponsive Customer Service

Another frequent complaint is that AGlobalTrade’s customer service becomes unresponsive once users encounter issues, particularly when attempting to withdraw funds. Support teams either delay responses or ignore complaints, leaving users with unresolved problems and no recourse for their issues.

6. Censorship Attempts

AGlobalTrade has been accused of trying to suppress negative reviews and feedback online. Some users claim that the platform works actively to take down or hide negative information about its operations to maintain a false image of legitimacy, instead of addressing the underlying issues.

7. False Promises of High Returns

AGlobalTrade lures new users with exaggerated claims of high, guaranteed returns, which are impossible to deliver in the highly volatile financial markets. These false promises are often directed at inexperienced traders who are unfamiliar with the risks involved in trading, resulting in significant losses.

8. Alleged Scam

There are multiple claims from users labeling AGlobalTrade as a scam. These allegations are based on a combination of withdrawal issues, high-pressure sales tactics, and unfulfilled promises. Users describe a pattern of behavior where the platform appears to be designed to take their money without providing legitimate trading opportunities.

9. Manipulation of Trades

Some users allege that AGlobalTrade manipulates their trades, ensuring that their positions are closed at a loss. This manipulation may involve delaying trade executions or adjusting prices in ways that lead to unexpected losses, further diminishing user trust in the platform.

10. Lack of Transparency

AGlobalTrade has been criticized for its lack of transparency regarding its terms of service, trading risks, and fee structures. Many users claim they were not fully informed about the potential risks or hidden costs associated with trading on the platform, making it difficult for them to make informed decisions about their investments.

These combined issues reflect a pattern of unethical behavior that raises significant concerns about AGlobalTrade’s legitimacy. Investors are strongly urged to approach the platform with caution.

How do we counteract this malpractice?

Once we ascertain the involvement of AGlobalTrade (or actors working on behalf of AGlobalTrade), we will inform AGlobalTrade of our findings via Electronic Mail.

Our preliminary assessment suggests that AGlobalTrade may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from AGlobalTrade, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to AGlobalTrade 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 –

Since AGlobalTrade made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and sensitive information targeted online by these events get a lot more exposure and traffic than what it would have received originally

We hope this becomes an excellent case study for the Streisand effect…The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms. Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible, which AGlobalTrade is finding out the hard way.

Potential Consequences for AGlobalTrade

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 AGlobalTrade Committing a Cyber Crime?

Yes, it seems so. AGlobalTrade 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. AGlobalTrade 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 AGlobalTrade 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. AGlobalTrade 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.

Reputation Agency's Modus Operandi

The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.

Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.

As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by AGlobalTrade creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.

The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.

The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.

In committing numerous offences, AGlobalTrade either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about AGlobalTrade, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.

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. FSMSmart is certainly keeping interesting company here.

The Reputation Laundering

Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.

The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.

In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.

This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.

Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. AGlobalTrade is in great company ….

What else is AGlobalTrade hiding?

We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [AGlobalTrade] + {Negative Keyword, such as Scam, Fraud, Complaints, Lawsuit, Sanction, etc} on Google. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)

To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with industry experts and researchers. If you have any information on AGlobalTrade that you want to share with experts and journalists, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].

All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.