File a Complaint or Report Suspicious Business Practices

If you believe that an IDFA Member has treated you improperly or has improper business practices, file a complaint using the online form below.

Please note, however, that IDFA does not have jurisdiction over non-Members. Therefore, before you proceed, you should review IDFA's BASIC system to determine if the firm or individual you dealt with is a pending, current or previous Member of IDFA. To make this determination, please review the firm or individual's entire profile, including the registration status and history details.While an individual or firm may have an IDFA ID number in BASIC, this alone is not indicative of IDFA membership and oversight; non-Members who are exempt from CFTC registration are given IDFA ID numbers for tracking purposes only.

If your complaint is against a non-Member, you are urged to file directly with the appropriate agency listed below. Filing with IDFA will delay the investigation of your complaint by the appropriate party.

For futures, options on futures, forex and swaps complaints:

FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE CFTC

For securities-related complaints:

FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE SEC

For complaints involving U.S. broker-dealers and their employees:

FILE A COMPLAINT WITH FINRA

If your complaint involves a non-Member located outside of the United States:

CONSULT THE IOSCO MEMBER LIST

If you are unable to determine if a firm or individual is or was an IDFA Member, please contact IDFA's Information Center (Info@idfa.futuresassociation.org) for assistance.

If you would like to file your complaint in paper form, you may download the printable complaint form and fax or mail it to IDFA at the address noted at the end of the form.

DESCRIBE YOUR COMPLAINT

Section 1: Product(s) Involved *

Futures Contract:

An agreement to purchase or sell a commodity for delivery in the future:

  1. at a price that is determined at initiation of the contract;
  2. that obligates each party to the contract to fulfill the contract at the specified price;
  3. that is used to assume or shift price risk; and
  4. that may be satisfied by delivery or offset. Options Contract: A contract that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specified quantity of a commodity or other instrument at a specific price within a specified period of time, regardless of the market price of that instrument.

Foreign Currency (Forex):

Retail forex transactions are leveraged off-exchange foreign currency transactions where one party is a customer. The term "forex" does not include transactions that result in actual delivery within two days or that create an enforceable obligation to deliver between parties who are capable of making and taking delivery for business purposes.

Swaps:

The statutory definition of "swap" is detailed and comprehensive, though certain agreements, contracts, and transactions are excluded from the definition. It includes, for example, interest rate swaps, commodity swaps, currency swaps, equity swaps and credit default swaps. Congress directed both the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to further define the term "swap" (and security-based swap) jointly. The Commissions in 2012 adopted rules and interpretations to clarify that a few types of transactions in particular are swaps. These include foreign currency options, commodity options, non-deliverable forwards in foreign exchange, cross-currency swaps, forward rate agreements, contracts for differences, options to enter into swaps and forward swaps. See 7 U.S.C. §1a(47) and 17 C.F.R. 1.3.

Virtual Currencies (also called cryptocurrencies, digital currencies or digital assets) are a digital representation of value that functions as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and/or a store of value.

Futures contracts are an agreement to buy or sell a virtual currency – such as Bitcoin – at a specific time, quantity, and price. Virtual currency options on futures give the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specified quantity of a virtual currency at a specific price within a specified period of time, regardless of the market price of that instrument.

A micro futures contract is a futures contract that represents a fractional value of the normal/standard sized futures contract.

A binary option is a type of options contract in which the payout will depend entirely on the outcome of a yes/no proposition.

Refers to engaging in an off-exchange transaction involving physical precious metals (i.e., gold, silver, platinum, palladium, etc.).

Generally, a transferable instrument representing an ownership interest in a corporation (equity security or stock) or the debt of a corporation, municipality, or sovereign. Other forms of debt such as mortgages can be converted into securities. Certain derivatives on securities (e.g., options on equity securities and security based swaps) are also considered securities for the purposes of the securities laws.

Section 2: Firm Information

Firm 1
You can find the firm name by searching the BASIC system.
You have not entered a firm IDFA ID. Before proceeding further, we strongly encourage you to search BASIC using the link provided, locate the firm's IDFA ID and enter it in the firm IDFA ID field. If you need assistance searching BASIC, please reach out to IDFA's Information Center (Info@idfa.futuresassociation.org).
Note that IDFA doesn't have jurisdiction over non-Members. If BASIC reflects that the subject of your complaint, whether a firm or an individual, is not an IDFA Member, then filing with IDFA will delay the investigation of your complaint by the appropriate party (e.g., the CFTC, the SEC or FINRA). Please only file your complaint with IDFA if the individual or firm is an IDFA Member OR a Principal of an IDFA Member. If neither, we encourage you to file directly with the applicable agency.
You can find this number by searching the BASIC system.

Section 3: Individual(s) dealt with

Individual 1
You can find this number by searching the BASIC system.

Section 4: Allegation(s) *

Section 5: Provide a detailed summary of complaint or suspicious business practices *

0/2000 characters

Section 6: Amount in dispute

Section 7: Type of account

You have not authorized anyone in writing to place trades in your account

  1. List the futures commission merchant (FCM)/ forex dealer member (FDM)/ retail foreign exchange dealer (RFED) that holds your funds. Enter the firm's full name as it appears on the top of your trading account statement. Search BASIC for firm

Your broker or a third party had your written authorization to place trades in your account.

  1. Enter the name of the broker or third party who managed your account: Search BASIC for firm
  2. List the futures commission merchant (FCM)/ forex dealer member (FDM)/ retail foreign exchange dealer (RFED) that holds your funds. Enter the firm's full name as it appears on the top of your trading account statement. Search BASIC for firm

An entity in which funds contributed by a number of persons are combined for the purpose of trading futures contracts, options on futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency contracts or swaps, either directly or through another commodity pool.

  1. Name of pool: Search BASIC for pool

Section 8: Other parties contacted about this complaint

Complainant Contact Information

If you check this box, you will not be required to provide your contact information below.