A concrete checklist for recognising scam trading info products: pricing tricks, fake track records, legal violations, and high-pressure sales.
"FX method, 30% monthly returns — ¥49,800" "100% reproducible auto-trading EA — ¥298,000" "Holy-grail indicator from a billionaire trader — ¥39,800" "Complete FX mastery online course — ¥598,000"
The info-product world is built from these inflated numbers and manufactured urgency. If even one of the 14 items below applies, do not buy.
The "real" price is ¥49,800. Nobody ever paid ¥298,000. The fake discount is built into the price tag.
Refresh the page and the timer often resets, or always shows "3 hours left". Manufactured urgency.
When the operator earns hundreds of thousands per sale, their primary product is acquiring more buyers — not making existing buyers successful.
Monthly 30%, compounded, becomes 23× in a year and 6.4 million × in five years. If real, the operator would be the wealthiest person on Earth. The fact that they sell the method is an admission that selling is more profitable than executing.
| Monthly | 1 year | 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 1.8× | 19× |
| 10% | 3.1× | 304× |
| 30% | 23× | 6,400,000× |
| 50% | 130× | ~43 billion × |
Possible only by refusing to cut losses. A single catastrophic trade erases the apparent edge.
Backtests can be curve-fit to any past data. Demand forward-test results — at least three years, across multiple regimes (up, down, range).
Personal screenshots, no audited statement, no broker-issued trade history → all fabricable, worthless as evidence.
Often paid actors or the seller's friends. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency has issued formal orders against multiple info-product sellers for fabricated testimonials.
Japan's SCTA Art. 11 requires online sellers to disclose:
"Hidden for privacy" or "contact form only" means the operator is almost certainly violating the law.
If the substance is paid recommendation of specific securities or trades, it is investment advisory. Unregistered = crime. The disclaimer has no legal force.
→ See Unlicensed Investment Advice Is a Crime
"Singapore Pte Ltd", "Dubai-based", etc. Japanese law still applies when targeting Japan residents — but litigation and recovery become much harder. The offshore claim itself is a warning sign.
The classic funnel:
A possible chain-sale (Tokutei Shōtori-hō "renza hanbai torihiki") structure. Strict regulation: written disclosure, 20-day cooling-off, organiser liability. Violations carry criminal penalties.
A cold-blast list. The sender knows nothing about you. The pitch is mass-produced.
→ See Social Solicitation Tactics
Almost none. Possible exceptions must satisfy all of:
| Criterion | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reasonable price | Under ¥10,000 — book-equivalent |
| Real-name author with verifiable career | Academic papers, employment history |
| No profitability claims | Does not promise winnings |
| Explains legal framework | Regulation, taxation |
| Explains classics | Dow, Elliott, Wyckoff, etc. |
| Math / statistics textbook | Probability, statistics, econometrics |
In short, a textbook. Anything sold as "the way to make money" is, by default, a scam.
Check whether SCTA cooling-off applies, then act fast.
→ See How to Use Cooling-Off → See Legal Recourse After Being Defrauded
If even one applies, do not buy.