Risk scorecard
Each area is scored 0 (clean) to 10 (worst). Higher means more risk.
Regulation
10/10 · CriticalNo licence on any register; unlicensed deposit-taking while wearing the identity of the FCA-authorised and SEC-registered Goldman Sachs.
Identity & transparency
10/10 · CriticalImpersonates a real bank, hides its owner, and uses a shared Belize mail-drop; no genuine legal entity disclosed.
Withdrawals & conduct
8/10 · CriticalFund-integrity reports of frozen withdrawals and a 50,000 USD advance-fee demand to release funds; specific but on a single source and the site is now offline.
Reputation
8/10 · CriticalLowest possible independent trust score, user reports of fund theft, and no credible positive footprint.
Website claims
9/10 · CriticalHolds itself out as Goldman Sachs, a firm it has no connection to; that false identity claim is the central deception.
Operational history
7/10 · HighDomain created October 2023 (under three years) and now defunct; the operating entity could not be dated, so the figure is an upper bound resting on the domain alone.
Who they are
A quick desk file on the company behind the brand.
- Brand: Goldman Sachs (a name copied from the genuine investment bank; this operator has no connection to it)
- Legal entity: None genuinely disclosed; the Goldman Sachs name is misappropriated
- Registered: Suite 404, The Matalon, Coney Drive, Belize City, Belize (a shared mail-drop address)
- Website: goldmanslead.com (now offline; contact was support@goldmanslead.com)
- Only licence: None found on any regulator register
- Offers: Forex, CFDs and 'shares' accounts; tiers included a 'Goldman Sachs Ultra Low Account'; minimum deposit 10,000 USD
- Not accepted: No restricted-countries policy could be established; it marketed to Spanish-speaking clients in Latin America
- Age claim: Presents as Goldman Sachs, a firm founded in 1869, while the domain itself dates only to October 2023
Regulation
Who really oversees this broker, and what each licence is worth to you.
Proof of regulation on an official register: No
We could not confirm this broker on any genuine regulator’s register.
No licence claims on record.
Why we reached this verdict
How the evidence adds up.
Six findings point the same way.
- Impersonation of a real bank. A retail forex operation in Belize cannot be Goldman Sachs. The genuine firm is FCA-authorised and SEC-registered and trades only at goldmansachs.com. Using the name at goldmanslead.com is impersonation, the core scam mechanic.
- Unlicensed and taking money. No regulator lists this operator, yet it advertised trading accounts with a 10,000 USD minimum deposit.
- A fraud-linked address. The Matalon on Coney Drive in Belize City is a shared offshore mail-drop tied to earlier securities-fraud cases and reused by other scam brokers.
- Money in, money not out. Users describe deposits taken, accounts frozen when they tried to withdraw, and a demand for a large extra payment (a 50,000 USD 'IPO subscription') to release funds. That is the advance-fee pattern.
- Throwaway profile. The domain was created in October 2023 and has already gone dark, which is typical of a short-lived scam site.
- Independent red flags. An independent trust service scores the site at the bottom of its scale and flags hidden ownership.
We assess the risk of fraud as high. The FCA and the SEC both publish warnings that fraudsters impersonate the genuine Goldman Sachs.
Evidence ledger
Every finding, with its source and how strongly it points.
E1The operator traded as Goldman Sachs, a name belonging to the FCA-authorised (reference numbers include 142888) and SEC-registered investment bank, while using goldmanslead.com and a Belize address. The genuine firm uses only goldmansachs.com, so this is impersonation, not the real bank.
E2No financial-services licence for this operator appears on any regulator register or alert search, yet it solicited retail deposits from a 10,000 USD minimum.
E3The registered address, Suite 404, The Matalon, Coney Drive, Belize City, is a shared offshore mail-drop central to a past FBI securities-fraud case and reused by multiple scam brokers.
E4goldmanslead.com first obtained a TLS certificate in October 2023 and no longer resolves or appears in the .com registry; the operation is under three years old and now defunct.
E5An independent website-trust service rates goldmanslead.com at the lowest possible score, records a registration date of 20 October 2023, notes hidden ownership and a high-risk young site, and concludes it may be a scam.
ModerateScamAdviserE6Clients report deposits taken, accounts then frozen at withdrawal, and a demand for a further 50,000 USD 'IPO subscription' before funds would be released; a separate report describes a task-based deposit scheme. Complainants were in Mexico and Peru.
ModerateTrader complaints on a third-party broker directoryE7No regulator warning list names goldmanslead.com specifically, and the site is now offline, so the case rests on the impersonation and third-party records rather than an enforcement action naming this exact domain.
The other side
The strongest case in this broker’s favour.
Before calling this a scam we looked for an innocent explanation and found none.
- A regional arm of the real Goldman Sachs? No. The genuine bank operates only at goldmansachs.com, does not run a Belize retail forex desk, and publicly warns that its name is misused.
- A different, legitimate company that happens to use the name? No. The operator uses the exact name Goldman Sachs in finance, even naming an account the 'Goldman Sachs Ultra Low Account'. There is no ordinary business reason for that.
- A case of mistaken identity with another clone? No. Other Goldman Sachs impersonators exist on different domains, and we kept them separate. The Belize address, the goldmanslead.com website and the support@goldmanslead.com contact all tie to this one operator.
- A licence we simply could not see? No licence for this operator appears on any register searched, and it named no regulator we could verify.
What would change this
What we would need to see to revise the verdict.
Our view would change if solid evidence showed otherwise.
- A regulator confirming that this Belize operator holds a genuine, current licence to take retail deposits.
- Proof that goldmanslead.com is an authorised domain of the genuine Goldman Sachs (it is not listed among the bank's own domains).
- A consistent record of clients depositing and then withdrawing their funds without an extra payment being demanded.
None of these is present.
Check it yourself
Official registers and warning lists. Verify every claim first-hand.
FCA warning: Goldman Sachs clone firm
The FCA warns that fraudsters impersonate the genuine Goldman Sachs and lists the real firm's reference numbers.
FCA Financial Services Register
Check the genuine Goldman Sachs entities (for example reference number 142888).
Goldman Sachs official security page
The real bank's fraud-awareness page; genuine domains end in goldmansachs.com.
IOSCO investor alerts (I-SCAN)
Global search of regulator alerts about unauthorised firms.
ScamAdviser check for goldmanslead.com
Independent trust review of this exact domain.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this broker’s safety.
Is Goldman Sachs at goldmanslead.com a scam?
Yes. It is not the real Goldman Sachs. It is an unlicensed Belize operator that copied the bank's name, and clients report their withdrawals were blocked. We rate it a scam.
Is this the real Goldman Sachs?
No. The genuine Goldman Sachs is a regulated bank that uses only goldmansachs.com. This site used goldmanslead.com and had no connection to it.
Is goldmanslead.com a fraud?
We did not find a court ruling naming this operator. What is concrete: it impersonated Goldman Sachs, took deposits while unlicensed, and users report funds were frozen and a further payment demanded to withdraw. On that basis we assess the risk of fraud as high, and both the FCA and SEC warn that Goldman Sachs is impersonated by fraudsters.
Is it regulated?
No. No financial regulator lists this operator. Being registered in Belize is not the same as holding a licence, and no Belize or other licence was found.
Can I withdraw my money?
Users report they could not. The pattern described is that the account is frozen at withdrawal and a large extra payment (a 50,000 USD 'IPO subscription') is demanded before any release. Paying it does not get the money back.
Is my money safe here?
No. An unlicensed, anonymous operator impersonating a bank offers no protection, no compensation scheme and no real recourse.
Who runs it and where is it based?
The owner is hidden. The registered address is a shared mail-drop in Belize City (Suite 404, The Matalon, Coney Drive) used by other scam brokers, so it does not indicate a real office.
How old is it?
The domain was created in October 2023, so under three years, and it has already gone offline. That is far from the 1869 heritage the Goldman Sachs name implies.
Is it a clone?
Yes. It is a clone that borrows the identity of the genuine Goldman Sachs. The real bank is FCA-authorised and SEC-registered; this operator is neither.
The website is down now, so is it still a risk?
The domain no longer works, but operators like this often reappear under a new name. Be wary of any new 'Goldman Sachs' broker on a domain other than goldmansachs.com, and of anyone offering to recover your lost funds for a fee.
What should I check before trusting any 'Goldman Sachs' broker?
Confirm the domain is goldmansachs.com, and look the firm up on your regulator's official register such as the FCA register. If the licence, entity name and website do not all match, walk away.
I was scammed by this site. What should I do?
Stop sending money immediately, including any fee to release funds. Save all evidence, report to your local police and financial regulator, and contact your bank or card provider about a chargeback. Ignore recovery firms that ask for an upfront payment.
What we recommend
The practical takeaway from everything above.
Treat this operator as unsafe and do not send it money.
- Do not deposit, and ignore any follow-up contact offering to 'unlock' or recover your balance for a fee. That is a second scam.
- If you already deposited, stop paying any further 'tax', 'fee' or 'subscription' demanded to release funds, and gather your records (dates, amounts, wallet addresses, chat logs).
- Report it to your local police and financial regulator, and to your bank or card issuer to ask about a chargeback.
- To reach the genuine Goldman Sachs, use only goldmansachs.com, and check any firm on your regulator's official register before depositing.
This is an independent assessment of risk, not a legal ruling. Scores and verdicts follow the Wikilix broker-safety methodology and can change as new evidence appears. Review scores are treated with caution when a broker’s reviews look manipulated. Last reviewed September 8, 2026. If any detail here is out of date or incorrect, or you represent this broker, please contact us.