Forensic review · October 2026

Interactive Brokers Review — Is Interactive Brokers 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.

No — Interactive Brokers 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.

Send this to Forensics Source Group
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: Interactive Brokers is real — and the complaints against it are under investigation

Interactive Brokers is one of the world's largest electronic brokerages, serving over 5 million clients across 170+ markets. These are the facts that check out on public registers — the complaint record is what our review is still working through:

  • Nasdaq-listed (IBKR), an S&P 500 constituent, with more than $900 billion in client assets and nearly 50 years of operating history.
  • Regulated by the SEC, FINRA and numerous global regulators including the FCA, and subject to public-company audit and reporting.
  • Account protection includes SIPC coverage plus additional Lloyd's insurance layers for uninvested cash.

Checking out is not the same as closed: the complaints against Interactive Brokers are under active investigation, and none of the facts above protects you from a fake. Most 'interactive brokers 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. Fake “Interactive Brokers” clones and phishing portals are among the most common broker-impersonation frauds — the real firm's name is borrowed, not the source of the fraud.

If it was an impersonator: you were never a customer of Interactive Brokers 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.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Interactive Brokers a scam?

No — Interactive Brokers is a real business: Nasdaq-listed (IBKR), an S&P 500 constituent, with more than $900 billion in client assets and nearly 50 years of operating history. 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 Interactive Brokers regulated?

Yes — Nasdaq-listed (IBKR), an S&P 500 constituent, with more than $900 billion in client assets and nearly 50 years of operating history. You can verify it yourself on the public register of the named regulator.

I lost money to someone claiming to be Interactive Brokers — 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 Interactive Brokers 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. Where the same payment shows up from other people, those files can sit together as a class action. The first look is free.

How do I check the Interactive Brokers site I used is genuine?

Type the official domain yourself — interactivebrokers.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.

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Forensics Source Group is not affiliated to this broker. We cannot close an account or confirm a balance. Write the date and how you paid.

Office5615 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, USA
CoverageUnited States · United Kingdom · European Union · Germany