SteadyOptions is an options trading forum where you can find solutions from top options traders. Join Us!

We’ve all been there… researching options strategies and unable to find the answers we’re looking for. SteadyOptions has your solution.

SchoolofTrade: Another Guru Busted


The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil anti-fraud enforcement action charging Joseph Dufresne (aka Joseph James) and Megan Renkow (aka Megan James), and their company, United Business Servicing, (UBS), doing business as SchoolofTrade.com (SoT), with fraudulently marketing commodity futures trading strategies and systems.

School of Trade (SoT) has been extensively reviewed by TradingSchools.org in November 2015 and the verdict was: 100% scam.

 

The CFTC Complaint alleges that from at least October 2011 through the present, Defendants, in the course of selling memberships in SoT, have engaged in a systemic pattern of false statements and omissions concerning:

 

a) the professional experience and trading success of Dufresne;

 

b) the profitability and performance record of SoT’s trading strategies and systems; and

 

c) the actual nature of the trading activity purporting to take place during SoT’s “Live Trade Room.”

 

The CFTC’s Complaint also alleges that Defendants failed to display prominently in their solicitation material certain required disclosure statements concerning simulated or hypothetical trading results and client testimonials.

 

Defendants sold at least 877 memberships in SoT and took in more than $2.7 million during the period charged in the CFTC’s Complaint.

 

Specifically, the CFTC alleges that Defendants have:

 

1) portrayed Dufresne as a successful professional trader with years of experience and numerous awards and recognitions when, in fact, Dufresne has little experience, has never been professionally recognized, and has never been a profitable trader;

 

Capture.PNG

 

2) touted the profitability of SoT’s strategies and systems and claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in trading profits earned every year, when, in fact, none of the Defendants’ accounts has ever been profitable; and

 

3) promoted SoT’s “Live Trade Room” in which they purport to make profitable trades on live accounts in real time when, in fact, none of the trades called or profits claimed to have been made in the “Live Trade Room” as set forth in the Complaint can be found in any of Defendants’ accounts.

 

Additionally, the Complaint alleges that Defendants have failed to prominently display in their various solicitation materials certain language, required pursuant to CFTC Regulations, stating that their results are based on simulated or hypothetical performance results and do not represent actual trading.

 

In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks restitution to defrauded clients, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, a civil monetary penalty, permanent registration and trading bans, and a permanent injunction against future violations of federal commodities laws and regulations, as charged.

 

For the official notice from the CFTC click here.

 

This claim joins few other claims filed recently, SEC complaint against Manny Backus being just one of them.

 

In 10 Signs Of A Fake Guru  I described how to recognize a fake trading guru. If your guru makes some ridiculous performance claims (like turning $12,415 Into $4,155,000, or making 29,233% in 12 months, etc.), he might be a good candidate for the next S.E.C. or CFTC press release.

 

tradingschools.org is doing an excellent job in exposing those scams. Next time you consider subscribing to one of those gurus, I highly recommend reading their reviews. I'm glad that authorities finally started to go after those charlatans.

 

Well done CFTC!

 

Related Articles

10 Signs Of A Fake Guru
Can You Really Turn $12,415 Into $4M?
Can you double your account every six months?
Performance Reporting: The Myths and The Reality

Do You Need A Lawyer? I Don't.

 

 

Want to learn how to trade successfully from real traders

 

Start Your Free Trial

 

What Is SteadyOptions?

12 Years CAGR of 115.5%

Full Trading Plan

Complete Portfolio Approach

Real-time trade sharing: entry, exit, and adjustments

Diversified Options Strategies

Exclusive Community Forum

Steady And Consistent Gains

High Quality Education

Risk Management, Portfolio Size

Performance based on real fills

Subscribe to SteadyOptions now and experience the full power of options trading!
Subscribe

Non-directional Options Strategies

10-15 trade Ideas Per Month

Targets 5-7% Monthly Net Return

Visit our Education Center

Recent Articles

Articles

  • When Investors Lose Their Nerve

    It was a rough end to the week for markets, with a sharp sell-off on Friday reminding investors just how quickly sentiment can turn. For anyone who sold in late summer anticipating a correction and then bought back in at the start of October, that one-day drop might have felt like confirmation that they can’t win.

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 589 views
  • Uncovering Common Cryptocurrency Trading Mistakes For Beginners

    Are you tempted by the shining allure of crypto trading? You aren’t alone. Decentralized cryptocurrencies hold perhaps the most tempting investment pull of a generation, especially amongst young or beginner investors. After all, by painting a different way to buy and sell, cryptocurrency offers something new that we’re all keen to get in on. 

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 7129 views
  • Buy Call, Sell Put Strategy Explained | SteadyOptions

    The Sell Put And Buy Call Strategy is an example of a synthetic stock options strategy: using call and puts options to mimic the performance of a position, usually involving the purchase of a stock. We saw this when looking at the synthetic covered call strategy elsewhere.

    By Chris Young,

    • 0 comments
    • 68668 views
  • Long Straddle Options Strategy | Maximize Profits with Big Moves

    Straddle Options Definition
    An options straddle strategy is buying (or selling) both a put and call option with the same strike price and expiration date for the same underlying asset, and paying both the put and call premiums.

    By Pat Crawley,

    • 0 comments
    • 69113 views
  • Gamma Scalping Options Trading Strategy

    Gamma scalping is a sophisticated options trading strategy primarily employed by institutions and hedge funds for managing portfolio risk and large positions in equities and futures. As a complex technique, it is particularly suitable for experienced traders seeking to capitalize on market movements, whether up or down, as they occur in real-time.

    By Chris Young,

    • 0 comments
    • 31522 views
  • Long Gamma vs Short Gamma: Options Strategy Explained

    Gamma is one of the primary Options Greeks, which measure an option's sensitivity to specific factors that could affect an option price. Despite traders hyping up several different Greeks and second-order Greeks like "Vanna" and "charm," there are only four primary Greeks that you need to be familiar with to understand options trading.

     

    By Pat Crawley,

    • 0 comments
    • 51559 views
  • Predicting Probabilities in Options Trading: A Deep Dive into Advanced Methods

    In options trading, the focus should not be on predicting the exact closing price of a ticker on a given date - a near-impossible task given the pseudo-random nature of markets. Instead, we aim to estimate probabilities: the likelihood of a ticker being above a specific value at a certain point in time. This perspective turns trading into a probabilistic exercise, leveraging historical data to make informed decisions.

    By Romuald,

    • 1 comment
    • 17870 views
  • SteadyOptions 2024 - Year in Review

    2024 marks our 13th year as a public trading service. We closed 136 winners out of 187 trades (72.7% winning ratio). Our model portfolio produced 116.7% compounded gain on the whole account based on 10% allocation per trade. We had only one losing month (of 0.6% loss) in 2024. 

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 6756 views
  • Wheel Strategy Options: Master Wheel Trading Explained

    The “wheel” trade is variously described as a beginner’s strategy, a combination to exploit features of both calls and puts, and as “perfect” solution to the well-known risks of shorting calls, even when covered. The options wheel strategy is an income-generating options trading strategy that both beginners and experienced traders can leverage for profit.

    By Pat Crawley,

    • 0 comments
    • 77912 views
  • Why Dollar Delta Will Change Your Trading

    Delta is one of the four main option Greeks, and any serious trader needs to have a thorough understanding of this greek if they hope to have any chance of success in the trading options. If you’re a beginner, you can visit my blog to learn more about understanding option delta

    By GavinMcMaster,

    • 0 comments
    • 37064 views

  Report Article


We want to hear from you!


I always knew there was something fishy about those guys. Good job CFTC!

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, it doesn't really take that much to smell a fraud. After 5 minutes on a website, I can tell you which one is legit and which one is scam. schooloftrade.com smelled scam from ten miles.

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's interesting that Investimonials removed schooloftrade reviews from their website. Apparently they don't want to be associated with them. If I remember correctly, they were heavy advertisers. 

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are still at it in 2121 I've been receiving emails for a month and was considering trying a $500 2 day trial. I also been practicing James methods in sim and drawing my channels backwards like he teaches. I do like that part and will probably continue drawing channels that way.

I'll probably never will actually make money from trading it's just a dream been doing it for a long long time.

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites



Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

Options Trading Blogs