Expert advisors from marketplaces run with full access to the account

[Shadow Trader]

A downloaded robot isn't a harmless chart decoration. Once attached, it can send orders, close positions, change stops and, depending on permissions, call external web addresses. All of that happens with the account's login.

Most sellers are probably honest about what the code does. The risk lies in what can't be seen. Compiled files hide their logic. A robot can hold a hard-coded server address, send account data out, or contain a hidden condition that behaves differently after a trial period.

Practical precautions are cheap:

- Run unknown robots only on a small, separate account with minimal funds
- Disable web requests in the platform settings unless the robot clearly needs them
- Use an investor (read-only) password to watch behaviour before trusting it
- Read the permissions the robot asks for and question any that seem unrelated to trading
- Watch the first week of orders for anything that doesn't match the described strategy

Reviews on the marketplace page can be bought or traded. A long live record on a verified monitoring service is stronger evidence.

Has a purchased robot ever behaved differently from its description?