Before sending money to any broker, be sure to ask about their independent auditing firm. If they don't have one, then you may be in for this alleged perpetrator's so-called "FIFO" policy:
FIRST IN, FOREVER OURS.
A very basic but important auditing procedure will verify that the broker's operating funds are segregated from client's funds.
Irregularity such as not receiving a timely response to a withdrawal request, should serve as a red flag representing the broker's financial health, and typically an indicator of
the ill policy of unsegregated accounts.