Price feed altered for specific account IDs is a deceptive practice where brokers selectively manipulate the price feed shown to certain traders based on their account number. Instead of receiving the true market price, flagged accounts are given wider spreads, artificial price spikes, or delayed quotes, making it harder to trade profitably and increasing the likelihood of losses.

Trusted brokers provide the same accurate, real-time market data to all clients without discrimination.

How brokers manipulate price feeds by account

There are several ways brokers alter the price feed unfairly for specific accounts.

Widening spreads selectively

Targeted accounts experience artificially widened spreads, causing trades to start deeper in negative territory and making stop-outs or losses more likely.

Injecting fake price spikes

Brokers push fake price movements into the feed shown only to specific accounts, triggering stop-loss orders or margin calls unfairly.

Slowing down price updates

Accounts flagged for manipulation may receive delayed price feeds, making it impossible to react in real time to market movements.

Targeting profitable traders

Consistently profitable traders are often targeted with altered price feeds to discourage winning strategies and force losses.

Impact on traders

Manipulated price feeds can have devastating effects on a trader’s account.

Unfair losses

Trades based on manipulated prices are far more likely to hit stop-losses, experience slippage, or be closed at unfavourable levels.

Destroyed trading strategies

Strategies that depend on accurate price movements, such as scalping or news trading, fail when price feeds are tampered with.

Increased emotional stress

It becomes extremely difficult to trust market data, making trading stressful and unpredictable.

Loss of trust

Realising that your account receives manipulated data destroys confidence in the broker’s integrity and fairness.

How to protect yourself

There are important steps traders can take to defend against brokers that alter price feeds.

Choose brokers with transparent execution models

Work only with brokers regulated by authorities like the FCA, ASIC, or CySEC. Trusted brokers such as Intertrader, AvaTrade, TiBiGlobe, Vantage, and Markets.com offer transparent STP or ECN execution without manipulating price feeds.

Use external price sources

Always monitor price movements on independent platforms like TradingView or Reuters alongside your broker’s platform to detect discrepancies.

Record trading sessions

Take screenshots or video recordings of your trading sessions if you suspect price manipulation, capturing evidence of feed inconsistencies.

Test execution quality

Open small trades across different times and instruments to see if price feed behaviour changes when your account is profitable.

Escalate to regulators

If price manipulation is detected, file a formal complaint with the broker’s regulator, providing full evidence and account history.

Reliable brokers for authentic trading environments

Top-tier brokers provide consistent, real-time market prices to all clients, ensuring fair and transparent trading conditions.

By staying vigilant and choosing brokers committed to real-time data integrity, traders can protect themselves from the risks when a broker alters the price feed for specific account IDs.

If you want to master trading with confidence and protect yourself from hidden broker tactics, explore our expert-led Trading Courses today.