What are binary options?

Binary options are a type of financial product classified as an exotic option. Binary options trading may seem like a new speculative market, but they’ve existed since 1974. They were created by one of the largest derivatives markets globally, CBOE (Chicago Board Options Exchange). It wasn’t until 2008 that binary options became primarily available to the public, and many entities copied the original CBOE asset type listing.

Binary options are a type of option that allows you to guess whether the option expires in the money – that’s it. Some unregulated binary options brokers allow for guessing on out of the money outcomes. A simple yes or no bet is made, hence the name binary. Contemporary binary options have expiration times between a week to a few minutes, with the majority of modern binary options platforms specializing in under one-day expirations.

Common binary option types

There are three primary binary call/put options:

• High/Low Binary Option

  You bet whether the price will close above a specific price or below a certain price

• Touch/no-Touch

  You bet whether the price will reach or not reach a defined price level at least once before the option expires. It does not matter if it closes above or below the price, only that it reached that price level before expiration.

• Boundary

  You bet that price will not reach a certain level above or below the current traded price. For example, you want to make a bet that over a certain period of time, XYZ won’t trade above $2.00 and won’t trade below $1.00 – if prices stay between these two values, you win.

Are binary options a scam or legit?

Binary options are overwhelmingly a scam and an illegitimate market. When you consider the various legal differences between the US, UK, and EU financial regulations, you may be surprised to find out that binary options markets are legal in the US but are now illegal in the EU and UK. In fact, the bans imposed on binary options markets in the EU and UK are very recent – 2018 for the former and 2019 for the latter.

A large reason for the banning of binary options in the EU was due to the dubious nature of CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) broad granting of national regulatory approval to a large number of unethical binary options brokers.

The US’s high regulatory environment makes participation in binary options marginally safer from a compliance standpoint, but it does not remove the inherent too high-risk nature of binary options. There is perhaps no market in the realm of financial markets that professional speculators and investors more deride than the binary options market. Know that binary options are more akin to gambling than speculation and that it is a true zero-sum instrument.

Binary options robot scams

If you are a day trader or an aspiring day trader, familiar with some of the largest speculative and high-frequency trading markets in the world like forex or futures, you are probably familiar with the prevalence of robots (commonly known as ‘bots’). Binary options robots are often sold as a way to manage your account. This involves sharing your account information or an API to allow an individual or automated system to execute trades on your behalf. Binary option robot scams include many high-pressure sales tactics, false statements on the return on investment and success rates, along with graphics depicting a wealthy lifestyle as a result of using their system.

Software scams in the binary options space are common and fall right into the same realm as robots. Depending on the software used for binary options (most are often done via web browser), some software is touted as ‘advanced artificial intelligence (AI)’ or ‘machine learning software,’ leading you to believe that it is an extremely sophisticated algorithm that will generate substantial gains. Many software providers report high returns - the returns the software provider is making is from selling his/her software to others, not on the success of the software in the binary options market. As with robot scams, be wary of the sales tactics and false lifestyle imagery.

Binary options trading scams

The number of trading scams in the binary options space is substantial. Because some of the largest regulatory agencies around the world have banned binary options, many former (and new) brokers have had to reestablish their businesses in nations where there is little to no real regulation. The broad bans of binary options have resulted in thousands of unregistered brokers all around the globe. Brokers within the binary options space have questionable to outright fraudulent data feeds. It’s not uncommon to see bids and ask fluctuate violently within the final micro-seconds resulting in significant losses, sometimes on both sides of the trade! You can avoid some of the trading scams by using only regulated brokers, although very few are legitimate.

Binary options signal scams

Signal scams are hands down the most prevalent form of financial fraud and scams in today’s markets. For the binary options market, signal scams involve an individual or company that offers to sell you trade ideas (signals) in exchange for a monthly fee. The signals are provided via text, email, or via their website. The most popular version of providing signals in most markets is through the chat platform Telegram. As with any financial instrument, it is best to avoid signal providers – they are only interested in making money from you as a subscriber.

Scammed and lost money in Binary Options? Here’s what you can do next!

If you’ve found yourself to be the unfortunate victim of a binary options scam, it may seem like you have no recourse except to just take the loss and move on. Don’t let bad actors get away with stealing your money! There are ways to go after individuals and entities that have taken your money. We at Payback are experienced in the recovery of funds from bad actors like binary options fraudsters.

Some of the methods we utilize and have success with are chargebacks – working with you and your card company to make an authentic and valid report of fraud. Payback works closely with you, and you will work with the same caseworker throughout the process. Fill out our Success Calculator to get started and check the testimonial and reviews for yourself!

How to avoid Binary Options trading scams

• Only use regulated brokers – for the US, the regulatory agency(s) for binary options fall under the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). Legitimate brokers will openly disclose their license number and cite the national regulatory agency and website.

• Do your due diligence – read user reviews across various sources. Be wary of sites that are specific to reviewing only binary options brokers – they are more than likely just shell sites meant to push you to a particular broker or a few select brokers.

• If the broker is unregulated, check where the broker is based – it’s good to know what nation the business is headquartered in.

• If you do want to risk your capital in the binary options markets, test the broker’s data yourself. Vet the broker and ensure that data feeds are authentic and that there are no abnormal price changes near expiry.

Binary options scam FAQ