An Expert Advisor vendor sends you a link to a MyFxbook or FXBlue page and treats the matter as settled. It is not.
These platforms are honest: they display faithfully whatever the account sends them. But they also display only what the account owner chooses to send, and a "Verified" badge generally certifies nothing more than the technical link between the page and a trading account — not that the account is real, nor that the history is complete.
Here are the seven most common manipulations, and exactly where to look for each one.
1. The account is a demo account
A demo account connects to the tracking service exactly like a live one. The resulting page looks identical, with one detail missing: the money does not exist, and execution is flawless.
Where to look: the account type is shown in the general information of the tracking page (Demo or Real, under Trading Privileges on MyFxbook). If that information is hidden, treat the account as a demo until proven otherwise.
Supporting clue: a complete absence of commissions and swaps across a long history. A real account almost always carries them.
2. The history was imported, not tracked live
Most platforms accept an imported history file alongside automatic tracking. The difference matters: an imported history comes from a file supplied by the user, whereas live tracking is collected position by position, continuously.
Where to look: the page states the update method and the date of the last synchronisation. A genuinely tracked account updates within minutes or hours of any activity.
3. The displayed period does not cover the whole account
Sharing settings allow the visible period to be restricted through a custom analysis date range. An account opened three years ago may expose only its last twelve months — in practice, the twelve that follow the loss nobody wants to show.
Where to look: compare the account creation date with the date of the first trade displayed. A significant gap indicates truncation.
4. The return is inflated by the calculation method
The headline percentage depends on the method chosen. A return calculated against the initial capital ignores later deposits and quickly becomes flattering: on an account funded progressively, the absolute gain is measured against a tiny starting base.
Where to look: the tab listing deposits and withdrawals. Frequent deposits combined with a spectacular return is a combination worth examining. Net gain in currency terms remains more informative than the percentage.
5. Deposits conceal the drawdowns
A deposit made during a losing run mechanically reduces the drawdown shown as a percentage: the denominator grows at the least favourable moment. The curve visually straightens out without a single trade having been won.
Where to look: overlay the equity curve on the deposit history. A deposit consistently dated at the bottom of every decline makes the published drawdown unusable.
6. Floating drawdown is missing from the headline figures
The featured metric is generally calculated on closed positions. A strategy that holds its losing positions indefinitely therefore shows a modest drawdown while the account carries substantial exposure.
Where to look: the gap between balance and equity, and the number of positions currently open. A balance well above equity signals unrealised losses. That is the signature of grid strategies.
7. The account on display is not the one being sold
A vendor can present the tracking page of a real account traded with conservative settings while shipping a robot whose default parameters are far more aggressive. The track record is genuine, but it does not describe what you will be running.
Where to look: ask for the exact settings file used on the tracked account and compare it with the one delivered. A refusal is an answer in itself.
The checklist
Before granting any credibility to a tracking page, check these seven points:
| Item | Expected |
|---|---|
| Account type | Real, explicitly displayed |
| Tracking method | Live, recently synchronised |
| Period | From the account's first trade |
| Broker | Named and visible |
| Deposits and withdrawals | Viewable, consistent with the curve |
| Balance and equity | Small gap, few open positions |
| Settings | Identical to those in the delivered product |
A page that satisfies all seven criteria is a serious starting point. A page that hides three of them proves nothing.
Recalculate rather than trust
The most robust verification is the one that does not depend on the vendor's display. Ask for the MT4 or MT5 statement exported from the terminal — a file containing every position, every deposit and every commission — and recalculate.
That is the purpose of Judgebot: you import the statement, the real drawdown, profit factor, recovery factor and payoff are recalculated from the trades themselves, martingale and grid behaviour is detected, and the robot receives an A/B/C/D grade along with its weak points. Nothing is taken from what the vendor claims.
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In summary
A tracking link is a source of information, not a certificate. Check the account type, the tracking method, the period covered, the broker, the capital movements, the balance-to-equity gap and whether the settings match. Then, if your capital is at stake, ask for the raw statement and recalculate it yourself — it is the only document that presentation cannot flatter.