The website of The Funded Trader, a prop trading platform operated by Easton Consulting Technologies, is back online after a 21-day blackout. Although the website's features appear unchanged, some aspects seem to be non-operational.

A Theme or an Operational Website?

A peculiar label reading “theme activated successfully” appears at the top of the prop trading platform’s website.

Most platform features, including challenge details, appear to be functional at first glance. However, the payments page for purchasing challenges looks unusual, and crypto payment functionality is unavailable.

The website also provides a phone number, but the recorded message says that the platform is not offering support on phone and refers to its website.

The Funded Trader suspended its operations on March 28, citing temporary reasons. It pledged to relaunch services after 21 days, even featuring a countdown on the website. While the countdown was not precisely accurate, as the website did not go live the moment the countdown reached zero, the website became active within a few hours.

Interestingly, all social channels of The Funded Trader are notably quiet, with no announcements about the relaunch. Angelo Ciaramello, the Chief Executive Officer of The Funded Trader, even unfollowed everyone on X (previously Twitter) and refrained from posting for weeks, despite being active on social media previously.

Manual Breach of Accounts

Numerous self-proclaimed customers of The Funded Trader claim their accounts were “manually breached” due to rule violations.

The Funded Trader boasts over 80,000 accounts. However, the platform has faced numerous controversies, with dozens of traders accusing it of denying payouts. While Ciaramello dismissed these allegations as “propaganda,” the platform later acknowledged suspending payouts for a “self-imposed internal audit,” only to suspend services shortly after.

During a live YouTube broadcast, Ciaramello presented a graphic indicating that in the first two months of 2024, The Funded Trader disbursed over $17 million to clients while withholding withdrawals of just over $2 million during the same period.

In addition to The Funded Trader, Easton controls several other prop trading platforms. Skilled Funded Trader, another Easton-controlled prop trading platform, also suspended its operations around the same time as The Funded Trader.