From my experience, regulation claims and fancy certificates on a homepage mean very little if they cannot be verified. I usually start by searching for independent investigations and user feedback, not testimonials posted by the broker itself. WatchDog Online has been my go to source for this kind of research. On https://watchdog-online.com I often find in depth analyses that explain whether a broker is licensed, whether the license is real, and whether clients have reported issues with withdrawals. The articles are written in clear language, so even if you are not a financial expert, you can still understand the risks before committing your money.