I wrote this on Brokersguru.com once but now I want to share for you guys here. You can check the full article there.

What sort of trader would not like the assistance of a broker that he can rely on? Most new traders struggle to find a genuine forex broker who is transparent and provides a great forex trading experience. There are several reasons for this, but one of the major reasons is the mindset of the traders themselves. As most new traders are lured into the forex game through a fake forex broker as an easy way to make money, they have a wrong image about the forex market and hence do not know how to get long term success. Most of us know that forex is one of the most volatile markets in the world, and due to its floating nature, the prices of the currencies cannot be predicted. But the question of how to identify weather a forex broker is genuine or not depends on several factors. You can also check the various internet websites like forexstars and other to get reviews about the various forex brokers. Here are some ways how you can check the authenticity of a forex broker. MAKE SURE THE FOREX BROKER IS WELL REGULATED Only trade or invest with top tier licensed brokers/banks who are under tier 1 and 2 licenses for highest protection. For example, in the event of a Swiss broker/bank bankruptcy, traders and investors are given up to CHF100k capital protection. Tier 1 licenses under: US NFA, UK FCA, SWISS FINMA, JAPAN FSA, SINGAPORE MAS. Tier 2 licenses under: European financial regulators, Australia ASIC, Canada IIROC. AVOID UNREGULATED BROKERS OR OFFSHORE REGULATED BROKERS (Vanuatu, Seychelles, St. Vincent, Belize, Indonesia etc) Traders and investors can check with their corresponding regulatory agencies that check the credibility of the forex brokers. They include the National Futures Association (NFA) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the United States, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the United Kingdom, Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC) and FINMA, Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFIN) in Germany and Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France. Analyze the Website We all know that in this age of peerless internet technology, coming across fake content is totally possible and one must first check the website first for a clear picture of the reviews. Some websites are meant not for the viewers but an organization’s attempt at getting more affiliates. In such cases you have to judge for yourself whether the reviews are real or are posted through automated software to get more viewers. Check the Comment Box Some sites are highly moderated along with the viewer’s comments that appear on the website due to the fear of spam. If a website allows regular users to comment on their posts that is a great sign of openness. But if your comment doesn’t appear immediately on the website and is stuck in the moderation phase forever, you certainly do not want to waste a lot of time reading your reviews on such a website. Several times unanswered comment boxes also indicate the website’s poor activity. Only Promote Genuine Reviews There are several websites that post a review and also refer the viewer to a broker’s website as several broker’s pay the sites to promote themselves. While there is nothing wrong in referrals, the viewers must also use their full discretion when it comes to judging whether the reviews are genuine or not. Try to avoid websites that also provide a referral link in a review that also redirects the user to the broker’s webpage. Transparency Is A Must The best way to know whether your forex broker is a fake one or not, is to look for his list of clients. While several fake brokers might tell you that it is against the law to disclose such information, the reality is the total opposite and no genuine broker would be afraid to share the list of his clients. Genuine brokers use their network of traders more as their work portfolio and you can always judge the authenticity of a broker through the profiles of the various clients and traders that he deals with. More transparency in a broker’s activities will instill more faith in the clients. Look At How The Broker Works While this would be like judging a book from its cover, forex brokers can be judged based on how they deal with their clients. If the forex broker holds each client’s funds in a segregated account approved by the traders, then it is quiet likely that you’re working with a genuine broker. Make sure that the broker has a valid proof of operating under a government regulation. Check the Broker’s Portfolio After you have checked how the broker works and the long list of his client’s, you still need to see if the clients are earning regular profits or not. Doing a short background check on how the various traders are performing with a particular broker is one of the best ways to know a broker’s authenticity. Forex is a highly fluctuating market and to ensure profits one requires having a really keen eye and a really honest forex broker. Forex trading is a risky business and requires a lot of experience and skills, to earn profits over a long term period. Hence it is highly important that the new traders must check the genuineness of a broker to experience a non-stressful forex trading environment.