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Scam watch.
Advisories, rule-change diffs, blacklists, and defunct firms. We publish evidence and cite sources. No entry is removed because a firm paid us — if the pattern changes, we publish a resolution.
By CPFM Editorial·Published 2024-08-12·Updated 2026-04-10 ● Open advisory2026-04-10Retroactive rule application flagged by vettedpropfirms.com
Crypto Fund Trader applies challenge evaluation rules retroactively in a minority of cases — passed traders have reported account reviews that invalidate trades days after the fact, citing rule interpretations not present in the ruleset at the time of purchase. The documented incidents cluster in late-March and early-April 2026 traders, with individual complaints on the vettedpropfirms.com public advisory list and in Trustpilot one-star reviews. Most CFT customers still receive payouts as stated — the aggregate Trustpilot score remains 4.4 across 1,180+ reviews — but the non-zero incident rate and the firm's public silence on the pattern are both concerning. Observable resolution criteria: a clear firm-issued statement addressing the reported cases plus a published rulebook-change log, and a 60-day window with no new retroactive-enforcement reports. We will downgrade this entry to Resolved once both conditions are met. Before buying a CFT challenge, screenshot the rules page at purchase time — evidence of the original ruleset is your only protection if a retroactive dispute arises.
Sources:vettedpropfirms.com/prop-firm-scams-and-blacklisttrustpilot.com/review/cryptofundtrader.com
● Open advisory2026-03-22Payout disbursement delays (Feb–Apr 2026 cohort)
My Crypto Funding has an unresolved payout-delay pattern affecting the February through April 2026 cohort of funded traders. Multiple Trustpilot and Discord reports document payouts approved but not disbursed within the firm's stated 96-hour SLA — some traders wait two to three weeks beyond the published timeframe, with a minority waiting longer. The firm has not publicly addressed the pattern, has not updated its payout-speed claim, and has not issued compensation to delayed traders. MCF also operates the highest affiliate commission rate in the category (20% vs the 10-15% industry norm) — not dispositive on its own, but correlated with marketing-first business models that need aggressive customer acquisition to fund retroactive obligations. Observable resolution criteria: a sequence of three monthly payout-speed audits where the median settlement time matches the published SLA, plus public firm communication on the Feb-Apr cohort backlog. Trustpilot tends to decline into the 3.9-range when MCF's issues recur. Do not use MCF as your primary firm at this time; treat any payout estimate as best-case.
Sources:trustpilot.com/review/mycryptofunding.orgreddit.com/r/PropFirm
● Open advisory2026-04-02Post-payment funded-account activation delays
Goat Funded Trader has an activation-delay pattern in the April 2026 cohort: traders who pass the evaluation are reporting multi-day delays between the stated activation window and the actual provisioning of a funded account. GFT's published SLA is 24 hours post-evaluation; incident reports document 48-96 hour activation gaps and, in isolated cases, longer. The firm does offer a $1,000 late-activation compensation clause in its rulebook — this is unusual for the category and partially offsets the friction, but traders must file the compensation claim manually and there are no documented cases of automatic payment. Observable resolution criteria: three consecutive months of median activation time within the published 24-hour SLA, plus publicly visible compensation-claim data showing the $1K clause is actually honored on request. Before buying a GFT challenge, save the activation-SLA language from the rulebook and screenshot the compensation terms. Small account size is advised until the pattern resolves — treat GFT as unproven at the $100K+ tier for now.
Sources:reddit.com/r/PropFirmtrustpilot.com/review/www.goatfundedtrader.com
The Trading Pit
Blacklisted — per vettedpropfirms.com
The Trading Pit was added to the vettedpropfirms.com public blacklist in early 2026 for a documented pattern of rule enforcement against traders who had already passed the evaluation phase. The pattern includes invalidated funded accounts after profit milestones, citing rule interpretations not present in the ruleset at challenge purchase time, and extended review periods that effectively freeze funded capital for weeks. The Trading Pit's crypto product is CFD-only, limited to BTC and ETH at 1:2 leverage with broker-synthetic pricing rather than real-exchange execution. Traders seeking crypto-native venues should avoid this firm entirely. Observable resolution criteria for removal from our blacklist: a formal public retraction or restitution policy from the operator addressing the affected accounts, independent verification of three consecutive months without new enforcement-against-passed-accounts reports, and a published ruleset change log with version history. None of these conditions are currently met. We will re-evaluate if vettedpropfirms.com updates its own status for this firm.
Sources:vettedpropfirms.com/prop-firm-scams-and-blacklisttrustpilot.com/review/thetradingpit.com
Funding Ticks
Shut down January 2026
Funding Ticks ceased all operations in January 2026 following a sustained decline in Trustpilot score and an accumulation of unresolved trader complaints through Q4 2025. The shutdown was announced via a brief website notice; no formal communication was issued to funded traders regarding pending payouts or account balances. Legacy balances on Funding Ticks accounts are not being honored — traders with open payouts at the time of closure have no viable recovery channel other than chargeback via card issuer, which only applies to challenge fees paid within the typical 60-120-day chargeback window. This entry exists primarily for search-engine hygiene: Funding Ticks still appears on many outdated listicles and comparison pages that have not been updated since late 2025. Do not purchase a challenge or attempt to fund an account with any entity branded Funding Ticks. No resolution criteria apply — defunct status is permanent unless the operating entity relaunches under the same brand, which we would then evaluate as a new firm.
Sources:financemagnates.comtrustpilot.com/review/fundingticks.com
Fidelcrest
Shut down 2024 — termination & indefinite-review scandals
Fidelcrest closed operations in August 2024 after a multi-year pattern of account terminations and indefinite account review periods that effectively froze trader capital. The pre-shutdown incident cohort stretched from late 2022 through mid-2024, with documented cases of passed traders being placed on indefinite review cycles that prevented payouts. Trustpilot declined into the 3.2-range before the shutdown announcement. The post-shutdown period has seen at least two third-party brands using similar visual identity and rule structures — do not engage with any revival brand claiming Fidelcrest heritage without independent corroboration of operating-entity changes. This entry exists as historical reference for two reasons: legacy listicles and affiliate pages still rank for Fidelcrest queries, and the pattern (indefinite review as a payout-avoidance mechanism) remains a useful diagnostic template for evaluating firms currently operating. No resolution criteria — defunct status is permanent. If a legitimate Fidelcrest successor emerges, we will evaluate it independently as a new firm, not as a restoration of the original.
Sources:financemagnates.comtrustpilot.com/review/fidelcrest.com