Fair trading, account reviews and withdrawals
Most brokers keep their abuse rules vague, then apply them when it suits. We would rather publish ours. This page sets out what we monitor, what does and does not put an account under review, what we are entitled to do when we find market abuse, and how to challenge a decision you believe is wrong.
Both platforms
Live chart, on the phone you already have
FSA-licensed broker · Licence SD133
Why we publish this
A broker that freezes an account without explaining the rule it relied on looks identical to a broker that simply took the money. The difference is whether the rule existed beforehand, was written down, and was applied the same way to everyone.
So the rules are in our Terms and Conditions, and this page explains them in plain language. If your account has been restricted, the clause we relied on is named in this page and you are entitled to ask us which one applies to you.
What we monitor
Our systems run eight automated integrity checks across trading activity. They look for a small number of specific patterns, all of which are defined as Abusive Trading Strategies in clause 35 of the Terms:
Offsetting positions. Opposing trades on the same instrument held between accounts, or between an account and a connected person, where the purpose is to obtain a bonus, obtain margin cover, or neutralise market risk while extracting a benefit from us (clause 35.1a).
Value transfer through losing trades. Deliberately loss-making transactions used to move value from one account to another (clause 35.1b).
Bonus farming. Trading whose principal purpose is to generate a bonus, rebate, commission or referral payment rather than a genuine return (clause 35.1c).
Swap-free misuse. Positions held principally to benefit from the absence of financing charges rather than from the trade itself (clauses 21 and 35.1d).
Latency and pricing exploitation. Trading that relies on a delay, error or clearly misquoted price (clauses 13.1 and 35.1e).
Acting in concert. Any of the above carried out with another person (clause 35.1f). A Connected Person is defined in clause 22.1(c) and includes someone sharing your device, IP address, payment instrument or client identifier.
What does not trigger a review
This matters more than the list above, because it is where most fear sits.
Winning does not trigger a review. Profitable trading is the point of the business. None of the eight checks look at profitability on its own, and a consistently profitable account is not a flagged account.
Expert Advisors are permitted. Clause 33.1 is explicit: you may use an expert advisor or other automated trading software at your own risk. Some review sites state that TNFX prohibits EAs. That is incorrect. We restrict automated software only where it threatens system stability or is itself being used to exploit a pricing error (clauses 33.2 and 33.3).
Scalping is permitted. Short holding times are a trading style, not an abuse. What clause 13 prohibits is exploiting latency or a misquoted price, which is a different thing.
Hedging is permitted as an ordinary risk-management technique. What clause 35.1(a) prohibits is offsetting positions taken principally to harvest a bonus, manufacture margin cover, or strip risk out while still extracting a benefit from us.
No account is frozen automatically
Our detection systems do not have the power to freeze anything. They can only open a case for a human being to look at. This is a deliberate design decision and it is not negotiable internally.
A case only opens when the scoring model passes a threshold and at least two independent signals fire. One unusual-looking trade is not enough. From there a member of the desk reads the evidence, and only a person can restrict an account.
Where we suspend an account we will tell you, unless we are prevented from doing so by law or by a regulator (clause 28.3), and we are required to act proportionately.
What we may do when abuse is established
The remedies are set out in the Terms and we do not invent new ones:
We may void the transactions concerned, in which case the profit from them does not accrue to you (clauses 13.2 and 21.7). We may debit the financing charges that would have applied had a swap-free account not been designated as such (clause 21.6). We may withdraw a bonus and the profit derived from it (clause 24). We may exercise set-off and clawback across your accounts and those of connected persons (clauses 21.8 and 27).
We may suspend an account and decline to process withdrawals from it for as long as is reasonably necessary to investigate (clause 28.1). A hold is not a confiscation. It ends when the review ends.
What we may not do is keep funds you deposited. Voiding applies to profit arising from abusive transactions and to bonuses, which are not your deposited funds (clause 22.1b). Your own capital is your own capital.
If your withdrawal is on hold
A withdrawal can be held for two reasons. The first is a ledger check — a duplicate or unmatched credit that has to be resolved before money leaves, which protects you as much as us. The second is an open integrity case.
In both cases you are entitled to ask which one applies, and to be told. Contact support and ask for the reason and the clause. If we have asked you for documents, providing them promptly is the fastest route to resolution — clause 28.2 allows a suspension to continue while a request goes unanswered.
How to challenge a decision
Clause 15 of the Terms sets out the complaints procedure and it applies to enforcement decisions like any other. Write to us, state which account and which decision, and ask for the clause we relied on and the evidence behind it.
If you believe a check has misread your trading — and that does happen, because a pattern can look like coordination when it is coincidence — say so and tell us why. Cases are reversible. A case that does not survive scrutiny is closed and the account is released.
Common questions
Does TNFX confiscate profits?
No. We may void the profit arising from transactions that breach clause 13 or clause 35, and we may withdraw a bonus and the profit derived from it. Both are published rules that exist before the trade, not decisions made afterwards. Deposited funds are not affected.
Are Expert Advisors allowed on TNFX?
Yes. Clause 33.1 permits expert advisors and other automated trading software, used at your own risk. Several review sites state otherwise and they are incorrect. The only restrictions are software that threatens system stability, or software used to exploit a pricing error.
Is scalping allowed?
Yes. Short holding times are a trading style. What is prohibited is exploiting latency, a system malfunction or a clearly misquoted price, which clause 13 treats as abuse regardless of holding time.
Is hedging allowed?
Yes, as ordinary risk management. Clause 35.1(a) prohibits offsetting positions taken principally to obtain a bonus, obtain margin cover, or neutralise risk while extracting a benefit from us — including across accounts or with a connected person.
Why is my withdrawal taking longer than usual?
Either a ledger check flagged a credit that has to be reconciled before funds leave, or an integrity case is open on the account. Ask support which applies; you are entitled to know.
What counts as a connected account?
Clause 22.1(c) defines a Connected Person as anyone sharing your name, address, email, phone, payment instrument, bank account or wallet; anyone accessing our platform from your IP address, device or client identifier; immediate family; and anyone acting on your instructions or in concert with you.
Will trading profitably get my account frozen?
No. None of our integrity checks look at profitability by itself. They look for specific structures — offsetting positions across linked accounts, deliberately losing trades that move value, positions held only to avoid financing charges — not for winners.
Can an enforcement decision be reversed?
Yes. Every case is reviewed by a person and can be appealed under clause 15. If a check has misread your activity, tell us why; cases that do not survive scrutiny are closed and the account released.