Is eToro Safe? Why Bad Reviews ⭕️ My 11.721€ Experience) Scam or Legit

Reasonable question: is eToro safe or not?

Is it a legitimate service or a scam?

Their advertising on YouTube are very aggressive. Should I avoid eToro?

If you are wondering whether the eToro broker is a scam or not, I will help you find out.

Why eToro is bad and why eToro has some negative reviews online?

Who writes these negative eToro reviews?

Let’s see if eToro is safe and legit and if there is a lack of competence of those complaining.

They say: “68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with eToro” so, will it happen to me too? Is it safe to use or not?

I will also spot what is wrong with eToro Europe and what to do about it.

Come with me…

I have tested eToro with scam detectors

eToro is not a scam: here is why.

The first thing we want to know is to find out if eToro is a scam, a fraud or not, then we move into the “safety” chapter.

I have run a scam test of eToro.com into the authoritative scam detection website scamadviser.

Here is the result:

As you can see, eToro Europe is not considered a scam website and the result is based on sevaral parameters like:

1. This website is receiving a lot of real traffic
2. There are thousands of positive reviews for this site
3. The SSL certificate of eToro is valid
4. The owner of the site has claimed the domain name for a long time
5. This website has existed for many years

This broker offers a safe web experience: here is why.

This website is also trusted by Norton Safe Web scanner:

eToro is tecnically safe, because it exist since very long time and it is receiving a huge share of real internet traffic from real users.

Now let’s move to the reasons way eToro can be considered safe and reliable form an investor perspective.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multi-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD trading products. 68% of retail investor lose money trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

Is eToro safe? If yes, why?

eToro must be considered safe for a number of reasons.

Let’s see it one by one.

An important aspect of safe investment websites is that they MUST be regulated.

# Is eToro regulated? If yes, where?

eToro is regulated by several top tier regulators worldwide.

This top level regulators would never authorize eToro to offer its services to US citizens if it was a scam or if this broker was unsafe.

Imagine eToro USA LLC accounts to be a scam? NO, it can’t happen. Same with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

# eToro Europe level of protection

eToro users’ funds are protected by different financial services compensation scheme.

So, what happen if eToro goes bankrupt?

If eToro becomes insolvent there are a few protection schemes to rely on.

The terms and entity of the compensation depends from the country of the user:

# eToro private insurance

Should eToro go bankrupt, the investors are covered by a private insurance (Lloyd’s) up to 1 million euro/dollars/pounds.

The eToro insurance covers cash, CFD, and all securities except cryptos.

Has eToro ever had any security issues?

eToro website has never been hacked.

All information and transactions go under to SSL protocol encryption.

All eToro users are encouraged to employ 2-factor authentication (2FA)

eToro is running a Vulnerability Disclosure Program on HackerOne. Anyone can send a vulnerability so that it can be studied.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multi-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD products. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

How is my direct experience on eToro?

I have been an eToro Europe user for many years.
So I can speak about my first-hand experience on eToro as a long-time investor.

Over the years I have experienced all the functions eToro offers with my own money and for long periods of time.
I also tried investing with eToro copytrading and Smart Portfolios.

I feel I can speak knowledgeably about eToro trading platform also because I have tried and used dozens of brokers in Europe.

Having tested first-hand many investing sites like this broker I can finally write about them with knowledge and knowing the alternatives on the market today.

I hope to share useful, first-hand information about eToro that will help you understand whether it is a safe and reliable site for you or not.

My doubts before starting with eToro

If I am honest, even I had doubts before I started investing in etoro.

I never liked their aggressive way of advertising themselves.
Their constant video ads on YouTube made me suspect that there was something I didn’t understand.

I mean, if it was all so easy, why wasn’t everyone doing it?

Eventually I was convinced to register and start mainly because I was attracted by the copytrading features.
I did not know that I could access the portfolios of all traders even without depositing a single euro.
Obviously then, when I saw the results and the consistent explanations of those who have their portfolios out in the open, I decided to deposit and invest too.

Why so much talk about eToro?

eToro is enjoying a huge boom, because it is so easy to use that even the “average Joe” is able to start investing within seconds after registering.

The real downside of this broker was the minimum deposit of 200 Usd, but now is lowered to 50 USD only (differs from country to country).

In practice, those who register now, need at least 50 Usd  to invest.

Of course it’s your money to invest, the service remains free. If you don’t have 50 Usd you can sign up, do simulations, spy on others, but you can’t do real operations.

Indeed eToro wins easy these days because, who is preparing to buy Bitcoin, Ripple and similar on the “traditional” e-wallets, normally find it easier to do it on eToro than on real portfolios.

eToro wallet is considered the safest crypto wallet available today

Many of these portfolios are not user friendly and hard to understand for new investors who do not know how to pick one.

It must be admitted that eToro solves part of the problem, because it allows you to invest in cryptocurrency WITHOUT complexity.

To buy Bitcoin on the dedicated wallets users have to store long passwords that are very long, fight against attacks and security issues, high commissions and all the discomforts related to some real cripto portfolios.

eToro may be a good and fast way to buy Bitcoin without the hassle  (offered by many overcomplex crypto trading wallets).

Is buying Bitcoin on eToro free?

No. Why should it be free?

It will cost you 0,75% of the invested money.

If you cannot judge yourself, I can tell you that 0.75% commission is not much to buy cryptos.

Note: 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing money rapidly.

Video is eToro safe on YouTube

Here is a video on the reason why people lose money on eToro (and then leave bad reviews):

In this video on eToro is also explained how to search the traders to copy based on past performance in the long term. Most newby only go for the maximum performance and this is a mistake.

Always check their trading history of other etoro users, especially if they do crypto trading.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multiple-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD products. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

How safe is eToro?

Am I at risk if I invest with eToro?

eToro is a company registered in Cyprus and it has been authorized to operate in several countries including many the US states.

eToro is NOT a new broker.

It is one of the oldest since it is operating since 2007.

This broker is available and authorized also in most US states since 2020.

A certain level of safety also depends by the wise use of the tool. To be clear, eToro has 30 million users and it is a very old and popular broker.

In my opinion eToro has no safety issues but since it is a broker it may be used for good or not.

eToro is safe as a platform, I’ve never had any doubt about safety.

Second question is: is eToro legit?

eToro is legit, as far as I know and it is regulated by the FCA in the UK, the CySec in Cyprus and by the ASIC in Australia.

Above the screenshot from the UK FCA authority official website where eToro is registered with number: 583263

Being a regulated, legit and authorized broker does not mean that there is no risk of investing and losing money.

I believe that this broker is potentially “less risky” compared to other trading platforms because they offer copy trading strategies. Copy trading is a portfolio management service.

Normally, when you register to a stock broker you are alone.

When you sign up to eToro the also offer (included and free) the social trading strategies. So that you can be in contact with millions of other investors and even copy their moves if you wish to.

If I use eToro Europe to buy single stocks like Amazon without any idea of what I am doing I can say that it is not eToro to be unsafe, it’s my behavior that is not appropriate.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multi-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD products. 68% of investor accounts lose money when trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

eToro rewiews on Trustpilot

How are the opinions about eToro on Trustpilot?

I went to the most popular review platform to find out who are the people behind the worst eToro reviews and what are their reasons to complain about the broker.

Here is one of the most significant reviews on eToro I’ve spotted:

In this review the user is asking why so many users try some DIY investing/trading if they can easily copy the best traders out there (for free).

I agree.

In many cases we may think that stock trading is easy, but it’s not.

It is much safer to copy other experts and only later maybe try some DIY.

So, what about the other negative reviews?

Well, most of the negative reviews seem to be written by users who have only left one single review on Trustpilot, and it is a negative review. Some may be fake eToro reviews.

Some eToro customers are angry because of the slow customer service.

It seems that in some periods this broker receives so many new customers that they have difficulty in servicing all requests. Most complaints about eToro are often written all on the same day or week.

I’ve never had any problems with this, but I may have been lucky.

Some other nervous eToro customers complain because they deposited money into their trading account using a bank that is not in the name of the user registered on eToro.

This is prohibited by law in the sense that eToro could never accept accounts being funded from different sources. If you ever register with this broker remember to use your real name and details and only use your bank account to transfer money.

Recently eToro Europe removed or reduced many of the most unpopular fees brokers use to apply. The best move was to offer free ETFs and stocks trading and also reducing to 5USD (from 25USD) the withdrawal fee.

I suggest anyone to read the bad eToro reviews. Let’s learn from the mistakes of other users, save on fees and privilege the free copy trading strategies.

My easy way to start with eToro

I’d say the best service is the copy trading platform.

It is possible to copy crypto traders and porfolios.

🔴 The best way to copy cryptotrades and amplify results is by copying these 3 portfolios:

• “Napoleon-X” (+450% last year)
• CryptoEqual (+505% last year)
• CryptoTakeOver (+150% last year)

To do it, I just go to my eToro trading account and I write these names in the search box, then click “invest”

After this simple operation I will be automatically investing in a managed portfolio of cryptocurrencies and companies related to cryptos.

If Trading history presented is less than 5 yearsit may not suffice as basis for investment decision.

Is eToro good on Reddit (reviews)

I went to Reddit to see what Redditors say about eToro broker.

I have analyzed all the latest eToro reviews on Reddit.

I read thousands or Reddit posts and comments on this broker and tried to summarize it all here.

So, is eToro good on Reddit?

Opinions on eToro on Reddit are very mixed.

Searching for eToro on Reddit I’ve found threads and subreddit with titles like:

“eToro is a scam avoid it at all cost” or ” I’m new to shares and online trading, I stupidly joined a website called eToro and bought $50 worth of Google shares” or “What do you guys think about eToro?”.

Reading those titles one should be scared, right?

But diving deep into the comments it’s easy to see that who is complaining about this broker is often someone that knows nothing about investing and that it is trying  some DIY to become rich overnight.

Reddit answers to those threads from expert eToro account users (there are many)  are very useful to read.

Most of them point out that the only safe way to use the eToro platform for a beginner is to test some copy trading.

After some time copying other traders it is ok to start with DIY investing on the real eToro trading platform.

Most DIY investors on Reddit prefer to invest in exchange traded funds like the VTI or high dividend ETF.

I do the same:

Lately on the popular Reddit community Wallstreetbets there were a lot of talks about eToro.

Another issue that is often mentioned on Reddit about this broker is “etoro withdrawal problem“.

Most new users just don’t know that invested money are (obviously) not available for withdrawal and that the minimum amount to be withdraw is 30 USD.

What is the best eToro alternative broker?

It is not easy to find an alternative to eToro.

I believe Freedom24 and Avatrade are the most powerful tools as an alternative to eToro as a trading platform.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multi-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD products. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money while trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

Freedom24 is a NASDAQ-listed broker with high interest on the uninvested cash.

This European stockbroker, offers more that 1 million investment options at the major exchange of USA, EU and Asia. In addition, Freedom24 clients can earn up to 6% p.a. interest on the uninvested cash with the fixed-income savings plan.

Current promo: 30 days zero commission trding for new clients. (Read more)

Freedom24 is a CySEC authorised broker and member of the ICF with protection up to a maximum of €20,000. Please note: investments always involve risks. It is important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

eToro monthly returns?

In the web you will find incredible ads that promise astronomical performance rates.

eToro cannot guarantee 10% per month or similar nonsense! I advise you to stay away from those who promise guaranteed returns on eToro, because this is not possible. eToro Europe is an instrument for investing, does not guarantee returns and is not a “Ponzi scheme”.

This broker offers less variety of products to trade on compared to other similar platforms but ETFs and stocks are free.

CopyTrading is free.

CFDs are not free.

Some ETF ( exchange traded securities ) on eToro account are served in CFD trading and are free.

If I want something that resembles a monthly return from eToro I could invest in ETF ( exchange traded funds  ) that include dividend stocks.

ETF Investing for Beginners is possible with eToro since the platform is easy to use.

If I want monthly returns I can have a look at the best dividend ETF in Europe or even to the JEPI ETF review.

eToro complaints

Why do people complain about eToro broker?

It is true, some investors and some traders do complain about eToro.

As I said before, many of them are not expert and commit very trivial mistakes.

The most common mistakes on eToro that trigger complaints is to invest in very volatile assets (like some cryptocurrencies) and try to exit the investment immediately. In these cases the amount available to withdraw from eToro may be less than the original one, since the asset we have invested in may be less valuable than before.

There is no money guarantee on eToro, so it is possible to lose money if we invest in the wrong asset or if we just invest at the wrong time.

Some eToro complaints also mention the level of assistance received by the platform.

Are eToro Europe users right to complain about slow customer service?

At certain times eToro receives thousands of requests for assistance.
This happens regularly when many thousands of new and novice investors sign up to the platform.
Obviously those who have just registered are likely to ask for something, it is logical.
Peak periods in support requests now happen with some regularity and coincide with price spikes in Bitcoin or even other highly coveted assets (Amazon shares, Tesla, etc).

Another reason that triggers some complaints on eToro is the commission to pay to cash out the money.

eToro is quite transparent about their prices and there is a page dedicated to withdrawal fees. It is also very simple: 5 USD for every withdrawal.

So, less withdrawals will lead to less commission to pay on eToro.

One more thing to know is that eToro functions with US dollars, so every time I make a deposit my money will be converted in US dollars.

This operation may be convenient or less convenient depending on your currency and a fixed fee applies to the conversion.

Where is eToro based?

eToro is not a local business.

eToro has:

• more than 1.200 employees
• 20.000.000 users
• from more than 100 countries

Office are located in more countries:

Who is behind eToro?

If you wnat to make sure real people exist behind eToro you can check the management LinkedIn profiles.

Here are the eToro top manager LinkedIn accounts:

• Yoni Assia on LinkedIn
• Ronen Assia on LinkedIn
• Shalom Berkovitz

 Real people that have been running a real profitable business for ages.

Here are the eToro top manager faces:

Please be aware that the fonders of eToro still seat in the top posizioni in the company. This is a great sign of reliability.

How Does eToro Make Money?

eToro effectively generates its revenue by capitalizing on the difference between the bid and ask prices, commonly known as the spread.

This practice serves as a typical approach employed by brokers to determine the pricing of trades and collect fees, even if a platform advertises fee-free or commission-free trading platform. By leveraging this strategy, eToro is able to establish a sustainable business model while ensuring liquidity and facilitating efficient transactions for its users.

It is important to recognize that, despite claims of being a free trading platform, the bid-ask spread remains a fundamental component in the financial ecosystem, enabling brokers like eToro to maintain their operations and provide valuable services to investors.

What is eToro in short?

eToro is a safe broker regulated by top level authorities worldwide.

eToro is popular because the offer copy trading and social trading strategies.

Company headquarters are in Israel, but most other eToro users are worldwide.

It was funded in 2007 but the actual CEO and part of his family.

eToro is planning to go public next year. This will add another layer of safety and transparency to its operations.

That’s on offer on the eToro platform?

eToro offers:

• CFDs
• ETFs
• Stocks
• Cryptocurrencies

eToro company value is about 3 billion USD nowadays.

eToro countries allowed

Is eToro available in my country?

Not all countries citizens are allowed to use eToro.

The list of countries allowed is published on the website.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multiple-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD products. 68% of retail-investor lose money when trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

What is the safest way to use eToro?

Investing cannot be safe 100%. Period.

So if you are new to investing and you think you will feel bad losing money rapidly or to see you investments go up and down, just don’t start.

The safest way to invest is not investing money we can’t afford to lose.

Investing is a process, not a one-shot action.

In my opinion the safest way to use eToro for beginners is to rely on the copy trading service.

Using the copy trading is free but I will still pay the commissions of buying and selling the assets of course.

If I do copy trading on eToro I just need to pick one or more traders to “copy” and let the system do he job for me.

Yes, it is as easy as this.

Easy does not mean 100% success.

I focus my energies on choosing a good and reliable trader before starting to copy him.

If Trading history presented is less than 5 yearsit may not suffice as basis for investment decision.

Another great safe way to use eToro Europe is to invest through its 72 Smart Portfolios. It is similar to robo advisor investing, like with the “ready to use” portfolios you find on Moneyfarm.

Should I buy Google stock?

Conclusions

To write this article about etoro’s security, I used various methods.

• First of all, I reported my direct experience as an etoro user.
• Then I used various anti-fraud services to investigate the goodness of the service.
• Next I looked closely at the history and background of the founders of eToro, its past and current managers.
• I also analysed the structure of the platform to find out whether it makes sure it uses technologies that can defend itself against external attacks and that guarantee the money and data of its users.
• Finally, I compared eToro in terms of security and usability with all other investment platforms in Europe and around the world.

The end result is that eToro is a safe site for investing and is supervised by top-level bodies on four continents.

The worst aspect of eToro as an investment platform is that the securities purchased are not exportable to other brokers.

This is a problem that only affects a very small percentage of users, as there is little reason to change given the advantageous conditions offered and the ease of use.

Those who still have doubts about the genuineness of the services offered by eToro have the possibility to register for free and use the platform without depositing money.
The DEMO section of eToro is identical to the real thing and can be used to copy other traders or even just export investment ideas that are working.

Disclaimer: eToro is a multi-asset platform offering CFD and non-CFD products. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading ‘CFDs’ with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or recommendation.

eToro is a multiple-asset platform that offers investments in stocks and crypto assets as well as trading CFD.

Please note that CFDs are complex instruments and, due to the leverage effect, carry a high risk of losing money rapidly. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFD with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Past performance is not an indication of future results. The trading history shown is less than 5 complete years and may not be sufficient as a basis for an investment decision.

Copy Trading is a portfolio management service provided by eToro (Europe) Ltd., which is automated and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cryptoassets are volatile instruments that can fluctuate greatly in a very short time and are therefore not suitable for all investors. Unlike CFDs, trading in crypto assets is not regulated and is therefore not monitored by any EU regulatory framework.

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