Forensic review · October 2026

Deriv Review — Is Deriv a Scam?

Forensics Source Group is not affiliated to this broker. We do not hold this account, we cannot close a balance, and we do not phone you as this firm. We investigate losses as a cybersecurity company — we do not replace the bank, the card scheme, or the police.

No — Deriv is a real business. But the scam reports around it are under active investigation, and if you lost money to someone using its name, that is exactly what we investigate.

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The short answerUnder investigation
The real riskFakes using its name
What to doSend the date and how you paid
What checks out

The short answer: Deriv is real — and the complaints against it are under investigation

Deriv is a real multi-entity broker, formerly Binary.com, with an MFSA investment firm in Malta, and clones that steal that name. These are the facts that check out on public registers — the complaint record is what our review is still working through:

  • Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited is an MFSA-licensed investment firm, company C 70156, at Level 3, W Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara BKR 9033, Malta. Official EU site: https://eu.deriv.com/.
  • MFSA warning, 30 August 2023: DerivTradingLive at https://derivtradinglive.net/ is a clone. It is not a Maltese company, is not authorised, and has no association with Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited.
  • Retail binary options are banned for EEA clients. The Malta entity does not offer them. Other group entities sit in Mauritius, the BVI, Vanuatu and elsewhere — those are not the Malta licence.

Checking out is not the same as closed: the complaints against Deriv are under active investigation, and none of the facts above protects you from a fake. Most 'deriv scam' searches trace to impersonators, not the platform itself — the ones that don't are the reason we investigate.

Sort your situation

Real-platform dispute or impersonation fraud?

Both feel identical from the inside. They are fixed by completely different routes — and the fastest way to tell them apart is to ask three questions.

If it is the real platform: your dispute runs through its formal complaints process, then the regulator or ombudsman. Slow, but it usually works. Most 'Deriv scam' searches are clone sites and fake support. The genuine firm is the one on the MFSA register you type yourself. If you used a different domain, that is a different file.

If it was an impersonator: you were never a customer of Deriv at all. A clone site, a fake “account manager”, a lookalike domain — the money went to criminals, not to the platform. That is fraud, and speed decides what can be recovered.

The three questions: did you type the official domain yourself, or follow a link, advert or message? Did anyone contact you first? Were you asked to pay a personal account or a different domain? If any answer is wrong, treat it as impersonation — and start here.

Our process

From digital shadow to admissible evidence

We investigate losses as a cybersecurity company. We turn the date, how you paid, and the public record into a file the bank, the card scheme, a lawyer, or the police can read. We do not replace those channels.

1

Free initial look and case triage

It starts with a conversation, not a contract. You send the date, how you paid, and any chat or screenshot you still have. We look at the digital footprint and tell you whether the file has something to investigate. The first look is free.

2

Digital tracing

We work from records, not guesses. Company registries and stated addresses. Regulator lists. The KYC/AML registration they used to stall a withdrawal — we read that paper trail; we do not complete it for them. If you paid in crypto, we trace and tag the wallets. Network artefacts: domains, servers, and the payment trail you already created.

3

The person behind the shell

Operators hide behind shell names and anonymous accounts. We map identity from the public record, the infrastructure, and your file: who controls the brand, which entities sit together, and which devices or logins appear in the trail.

4

The forensic report

Findings go into one chain-of-custody file: identity of the operator, the payment trail, domains and servers, and anything that ties an account or a device to the loss. The report is written so a lawyer, a judge, a bank, a card scheme, or a regulator can read it.

5

Where the file goes next

We tell you which desk the file belongs on — the bank or the card scheme, the police, a lawyer, or a regulator. We do not replace those channels. We investigate, we write the file, and we guide the next step.

Ready to see what the file can show? Send the date and how you paid. The first look is free.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Deriv a scam?

No — Deriv is a real business: Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited is an MFSA-licensed investment firm, company C 70156, at Level 3, W Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara BKR 9033, Malta. Official EU site: https://eu.deriv.com/. The scam stories you see online usually trace to fakes borrowing its name — and the ones that don't are part of our active investigation.

Is a scam?

Same desk as Deriv. The notice prints . That is one unauthorised-firm listing, one review. The name people search is Deriv. Send the date and how you paid.

Is Deriv a legit broker?

The company is real: Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited is an MFSA-licensed investment firm, company C 70156, at Level 3, W Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara BKR 9033, Malta. Official EU site: https://eu.deriv.com/. That is not the same as every site using the name. Type deriv.com yourself and check the register. If the domain differs, that is a different file.

Is Deriv regulated?

Yes — Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited is an MFSA-licensed investment firm, company C 70156, at Level 3, W Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara BKR 9033, Malta. Official EU site: https://eu.deriv.com/. You can verify it yourself on the public register of the named regulator.

I lost money to someone claiming to be Deriv — is that the real company?

Almost certainly not. Impersonators borrow the name, the logo, even the licence number. The real company knows nothing about it. Keep every message, receipt, URL and wallet address — that evidence is what an investigation builds on.

I paid a fake Deriv site. What is enough to send?

The domain you actually used, the date, and whether it was a card, a bank transfer, or crypto. Or the name of the person who told you to pay. Or one screenshot. We investigate losses as a cybersecurity company — we do not replace the bank, the card scheme, or the police. The first look at the file is free.

How do I check the Deriv site I used is genuine?

Type the official domain yourself — deriv.com — never follow a link from an advert, email or message. Then check the regulator's public register, which lists the firm's genuine website. If your domain differs by even one character, it was a fake.

Is this a Deriv broker review?

Yes. This Deriv broker review covers the genuine MFSA-licensed entity at eu.deriv.com and the clone sites that steal that name. Deriv trading review and Deriv HQ reviews searches belong on this page when the domain was deriv.com — or on a clone file when it was not.

What about Deriv review complaints?

Deriv review complaints split into two files. A real account at the MFSA firm is a regulated dispute. A fake DerivTradingLive or lookalike domain is impersonation. Most 'Deriv scam' searches are clones. Type deriv.com yourself and check the MFSA register.

How does your process work?

Free look first: the date, how you paid, one screenshot. Then we trace registries, the KYC/AML paper used to stall a withdrawal, domains, servers, and — if you paid in crypto — the wallet trail, tagged. Then we write an identity, payment, domain and server report for the bank, the card scheme, a lawyer or the police. We do not replace those channels.

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Forensics Source Group is not affiliated to this broker. We cannot close an account or confirm a balance. We investigate losses as a cybersecurity company — we do not replace the bank, the card scheme, or the police. Write the date and how you paid.

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