Can you trust a brokerage company from Monaco? And what if it also has jurisdiction in Belize? Meet ZocDocStocks – a CFD broker, calling itself the best, top-1, and trusted. However, the organization has no licenses, and its period of operation remains unknown. Online reviews did not provide any information about the firm, so we’ll have to carefully examine this issue ourselves. We’ll try to determine if there are any clear signs of a scam on the platform, or if it can actually be trusted.
- ZocDocStocks General Information
- Registration and Client Portal Review
- ZocDocStocks Trading Conditions
- Account Types Review
- Trading Platform
- ZocDocStocks — Deposit and Withdrawal of Funds
- Verification
- Additional Options
- Is ZocDocStocks a Scam?
- Legal Information and License
- Zocdocstocks.com Domain Info
- Contacts Review
- More Details
- Pros and Cons
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
ZocDocStocks General Information
| Website | https://zocdocstocks.com/ |
| Phone Number | +37716084115 |
| support@zocdocstocks.com | |
| Address | 41 Av. Hector Otto, 98000 Monaco |
| License | – |
| Minimum Deposit | $500 |
| Assets | CFDs |
| Leverage | 1:50 |
| Trading Platform | WebTrader |
Registration and Client Portal Review
It’s uncommon for a brokerage firm to have a single-page website, yet it does occur occasionally. ZocDocStocks showcases its official online presence as a singular page layout. This means it lacks distinct sections for different information; instead, it features a continuous stream of text detailing the broker’s trading conditions, benefits, and various aspects of their operations. Whether this approach is effective is debatable. At the very least, it suggests a certain casualness in the firm’s approach, as creating a one-page site requires minimal time and financial investment. Additionally, it’s challenging to encapsulate all the critical details on a single page. Essential information such as the company’s operational tenure, business structure, and licensing details are notably absent from the site.
The website is exclusively available in English, despite the firm’s claims of being the top platform in Europe. Notably, it lacks support for other European languages like Italian, Portugal, Greece, or French. The visual aesthetic is basic and stereotypical, featuring imagery of skyscrapers, individuals in business attire, and computer monitors. Overall, ZocDocStocks seems to have constructed a semblance of a website, creating the impression that its online presence is merely for show.
The registration of a personal cabinet is very quick and simple. After entering all the necessary information, the client portal opens. However, there’s a catch – the platform is integrated into the personal account, making the use of the client portal less convenient. Why did ZocDocStocks put everything in one place? It would be much more practical and comfortable to separate the terminal and the personal account. The actions available to users are quite standard:
- Depositing and withdrawing funds.
- Identity verification.
- View trading history and financial transactions.
- Editing personal data.
A demo account was not found. Therefore, it’s impossible to try the service for free without risk. You’ll have to fund your deposit with real money. Another obvious disadvantage.
ZocDocStocks Trading Conditions
Clients of the broker can open an account, fund their deposits, and start trading financial assets. Available here are forex, metals, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and stocks. Now, let’s find out the terms under which ZocDocStocks offers its services.
Account Types Review
The minimum deposit here is quite high – $500. Such an initial deposit size is astonishing, as it is not customary in the forex industry nowadays to require such substantial amounts of money. Many popular and proven firms, enjoying greater authority than ZocDocStocks, offer to start trading with deposits of even less than $100.
Traders have access to leverage. It depends on the asset class, but the maximum is 1:50, surprisingly for commodities, although it would be more logical to offer such leverage for Forex, where it is only 1:20. Meanwhile, ZocDocStocks hides the size of commissions and spreads, some of the most important parameters. In short, the logic of the conditions is unclear to us.
The logic behind the huge gap in required deposits between the first and second account types is also unclear. Just to note, to activate the second tariff, one needs to invest as much as $25,000. It seems like blatant extortion, doesn’t it? Moreover, as noted earlier, ZocDocStocks does not offer a demo account.
Trading Platform
The terminal at the broker is just a poor parody of a platform. There are no advanced options or tools, and there are no applications for smartphones or a desktop version. It’s unclear how to use such software for serious and stable trading. ZocDocStocks could have provided some well-known alternatives, like the popular MetaTrader, to meet the needs of advanced and experienced traders.
This platform is only suitable for opening and closing orders, nothing more. Yes, there are basic tools for technical analysis and a few indicators, but this is not enough to create advanced strategies. Here, it’s impossible to connect advisors for automated trading, upload custom indicators, or copy trades. Many options are missing at ZocDocStocks.
ZocDocStocks — Deposit and Withdrawal of Funds
The methods by which money can be transferred say a lot about a broker. For instance, ZocDocStocks accepts only cryptocurrency – USDT or BTC, and standard and familiar bank cards or electronic payment systems are absent.
The presence of only cryptocurrency speaks volumes and carries certain risks. Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, and in case of an error or fraud, funds cannot be returned through a chargeback. Also, digital currencies may not be regulated in many jurisdictions, which reduces client protection. However, the main risk is that transactions with cryptocurrencies can be anonymous, which makes it difficult to identify the parties in the case of disputes. ZocDocStocks is trying to remain as anonymous as possible.
In addition, it’s worth noting the opaque conditions regarding funding and withdrawal of funds. The company conceals what commissions are charged, as well as the processing time for withdrawal requests.
Verification
The identity verification process at ZocDocStocks is not straightforward. On the one hand, KYC is not a mandatory requirement for depositing funds and trading. On the other hand, ZocDocStocks has the right to request traders to provide documents to enable fund withdrawals.
According to the verification section layout in the personal account, ZocDocStocks requires three types of documents:
- Identity Verification. A passport and a selfie with the passport in hand.
- Billing information.
- Proof of residence address.
Interestingly, the AML & KYC policy is absent from the official website, and the processing time for the documents remains a secret.
Additional Options
Clients can receive financial plan development, with the quality of the service improving with better accounts. During registration, there is a field labeled “promo code”, indicating that ZocDocStocks has an affiliate program for extra income.
The additional options don’t end there. For owners of premium tariffs, the broker offers deposit insurance and protection, as well as 24/7 personal support. That’s all. Quite sparse, especially considering that beginners get nothing interesting. Where are the educational resources and training courses, fresh analytics, and other tools?
Is ZocDocStocks a Scam?
Can a one-page website indicate potential fraud? Quite possibly, but at the very least, it suggests a lack of seriousness. However, if that were the only downside to ZocDocStocks, it might be different, but there are many more, including opaque conditions and a primitive terminal. Next, we need to ascertain the organization’s legitimate status and period of operation.
Legal Information and License
So, the official website of the broker lists an office address in Monaco. To verify if the organization is indeed registered there, we need to check the CCAF registry. As it turns out, ZocDocStocks is not listed there. That means the firm provided a fake legal address, so there’s no point in even discussing a license.
Scouring the user agreement, you can find this phrase: “The place of business is Belize”. So, the broker has a Belize jurisdiction as well? Okay, let’s check IFSC, where every broker from Belize should be listed. Do you see ZocDocStocks there? Look at the screenshot below. Ideally, our firm should be there, but it’s not. It indicates a lack of IFSC license.
On its one-page website, the broker boasts of being regulated, allegedly overseen by some independent organizations and financial markets commissions. However, no names, abbreviations, links, or numbers are provided. Could it be that ZocDocStocks just invented its own non-existent regulation? That’s also a possibility.
Zocdocstocks.com Domain Info
We have already understood the broker’s fake registration, but how long has it been conducting its fraudulent activities? Since registration documents are missing, we have to look at the domain registration date. As seen in the screenshot below, ZocDocStocks’ official website only appeared in late September 2023. Now it’s clear why the firm didn’t provide any information regarding its period of operation.
Contacts Review
The broker’s contact details can also be very telling. For example, why is there only one email for technical support? Where are the finance department, the client service department, including for new clients, and verification? Does ZocDocStocks really receive all emails at one address? In reality, the company doesn’t receive any emails, because the provided email is fake. There’s also a phone number, probably also fictitious.
More Details
Notably, any legal documents are missing, except for the standard user agreement. Moreover, ZocDocStocks does not disclose information about its business model. However, judging by the red flags found, it is easy to guess that we are dealing with a classic 100% b-book broker. The problem with such firms is the presence of a conflict of interest. Client profits do not interest them, because in such a case, the firm would lose. They need losses and drained deposits from users – only then will such organizations be profitable. So, there is no sense in trading with ZocDocStocks.
And we haven’t even started to consider the anonymity of the company. There’s a lot more to dig into here, but is it worth it if it’s already obvious that it’s a scam?
Pros and Cons
- Not found.
- Unfavorable and partially hidden trading conditions.
- Illegal activity due to the absence of a license.
- Fake legal address in Monaco. ZocDocStocks is also not found in Belize.
- Business model is 100% B-Book with a conflict of interest.
- A very short period of operation.
The broker has not received licenses from regulators and has also provided a fake address in Monaco - these are the main signs of a scam. In addition, ZocDocStocks offers very unreasonable and unfavorable conditions, is not interested in the success of its clients, and provides fake contact information.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The broker offers margin trading of financial assets: forex, metals, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and stocks.
According to the description of the tariff plans on the official website, the minimum amount necessary for investment is $500.
Absolutely not. ZocDocStocks has not received a license, and the specified address is fabricated, with no legal documents provided.
Rather, I gave the money to the scammers
It’s hard to believe that I fell for a blatant fraud. Yes, I invested money in a scam broker named ZocDocStocks. I thought it was a safe brokerage firm that would give me everything necessary to earn on Forex/CFD, but instead, I got a fake platform, terrible trading conditions, and other inconveniences that prevented me from even making a profit on my account.
The broker turned out to be fake. It’s not even right to call it a broker, it’s a dealing desk, a parody of a brokerage company. They benefit from clients losing their investments. But if you haven’t lost your deposit, they won’t let you withdraw it. They’re not letting me withdraw mine, unfortunately. Maybe they will, I hope, but it’s unlikely. For the hope, I’ll give it 2 points.