I feel compelled to share my experience with Smart Reserve Holdings and Alpha Trend Capital, because I believe others deserve to be warned before engaging with these companies.
On Aug 6, 2025, I saw an advertisement on Associated Press (APNews.com) of a Canadian talking about his experience with AI Trading through Alpha Trend Capital. When I first signed up through Alpha Trend Capital, my only interest was to casually explore AI trading technology. I expected a hands-off experiment, where the software would quietly manage small trades. What I did not know at the time was that Alpha Trend Capital would hand me off to Smart Reserve Holdings, attaching me to a representative I never asked for — Daniel S. What I actual got was not a simple AI tool, but a human time-leech in the form of constant calls (sometimes several in a week), pressure for more funds, and eventual downright rudeness when I refused to comply.
Initially, the arrangement seemed legitimate. The website itself appears professional, with a screen showing what look like “live” AI stock transactions and a daily increase in my account balance. I was even shown how to withdraw a small amount of money, giving the impression that everything was transparent. However, I soon discovered that Daniel insisted on being part of every deposit or withdrawal, never allowing me to manage my account independently. As I pushed back on the amount of involvement and refused to have weekly phone calls, he began emailing me. His emails were poorly written, at times insulting (“weird,” “embarrassing”), and filled with urgency and threats. He pressured me to add more funds and even stated that he would stop my trading “bot” if I refused to return his calls. Yesterday, he followed through, and my bot was stopped without my consent. I never agreed to this kind of personal involvement, nor did I consent to being harassed into further deposits.
I first became concerned when I questioned Daniel about the lack of a “paper trail” on the Internet. In late July, I asked why there were no independent reviews of Smart Reserve Holdings and no credible mentions of the company online. Not long after, Daniel suddenly sent me a link to a Yahoo Finance page featuring an article about the company — but the article was dated after I had raised these concerns, and it was clearly paid content rather than independent reporting. Now, six weeks later, I have begun to see “personal glowing reviews” of Smart Reserve Holdings appear online, again all dated after my complaint, but only on one site. I strongly suspect that these reviews are plants, as none mention being assigned to an overzealous human representative or anyone else having problems with the lack of response to emails.
Over time, I also caught Daniel in lies and contradictions. He claimed to be British-born and raised, yet both his accent and his writing style made it clear that English was not his native language. At one point, he let his last name slip. While I had him on the phone, I googled it and found a Daniel S. in London who worked as a stockbroker. When I asked if that was him, his reaction was not what I would have expected if it were simply a coincidence of the same name and profession. For example, when I once discovered there was another Shelley Taylor with a PhD in Psychology, my reaction was, “Wow, that’s wild.” His response, however, was more like genuine surprise that such a person existed at all — as if he hadn’t expected anyone by that name, let alone in that profession. He seemed even more surprised that I had researched him and Smart Reserve Holdings at all, as though it were unusual to look into someone I had just entrusted with several thousand dollars. To add to this annoyance, he consistently refused to call me by either my first name or my professional title, addressing me only as “dear” and insisting he was my “friend” — a minor issue, but it was another sign of his lack of professionalism.
Most concerning now is that Daniel told me my “bot” had been stopped, which apparently is the case. I did not authorise this, and I am left unsure whether I can access or withdraw any of my funds. I was willing to gamble several thousand dollars as an experiment, but at this point, it appears that money has been lost.
Then there is the silence from Smart Reserve Holdings itself. Despite multiple emails, I have received no meaningful response about Daniel’s conduct, the status of my account, or whether my bot has been disabled without my consent. This raises a larger issue: is this simply one rogue representative, or is it how the company operates as a whole?
Based on my experience, I must warn others to be extremely cautious. If you are considering using Smart Reserve Holdings or Alpha Trend Capital farming your account out to someone else. Just know that you may not get the AI-driven service you expect. Instead, you may be subjected to repeated pressure from a representative you never asked for — and left without support when you question it, and lose your money.
I share this not out of frustration alone, but to help others avoid the distress, pressure, and uncertainty that I have faced.
Update: What’s Happened Since My Original Post
Since sharing my initial experience with Smart Reserve Holdings and Alpha Trend Capital, several important developments have confirmed that this is not an isolated misunderstanding, but a broader pattern of abusive and misleading behaviour.
Other People Are Reporting the Same Pattern
After posting on Reddit, multiple people contacted me describing almost identical experiences with Smart Reserve Holdings and “Daniel S.”:
- Accounts that appeared to grow steadily on screen
- Pressure to deposit more funds (sometimes to “release” existing money)
- Threats of legal action or even going after their home
- Sudden complications or outright refusal when they tried to withdraw
- Complete silence from the company once they stopped paying
One person reported being unable to access $80,000, and their bank has since red-flagged Smart Reserve Holdings as a high-risk merchant. A Certified Financial Planner in BC also reached out to me about a client experiencing the same tactics.
My Account Was Shut Down After I Said No
In my own case, once I refused more calls and deposits:
- I received increasingly aggressive emails from Daniel S., including threats of “legal action” and accusations that my behaviour was “embarrassing.”
- He claimed he had turned my trading “bot” off and demanded immediate phone contact.
- Shortly afterwards, my account was closed without my consent and I lost access to the funds entirely.
Suspicious Reviews and Vanishing Claims
I later found a cluster of glowing reviews for Smart Reserve Holdings on a single review site, with no negative or even neutral feedback — highly unusual for any financial service. None mention being assigned an aggressive “account manager” or having withdrawal problems.
At the same time:
- The original Alpha Trend Capital website, which had referenced SA Derivatives (FSP 40246), disappeared.
- A new site appeared claiming they are “education only,” with all regulatory references scrubbed.
- This mirrors how Smart Reserve Holdings falsely claimed to be associated with UNUM Capital (FSP 564) to appear regulated.
Unum Capital’s Public Warning & FSCA / Visa Investigations
The strongest confirmation came when Unum Capital (Pty) Ltd, a legitimate South African firm, issued a public warning stating that Smart Reserve Holdings has been fraudulently using their name and licence number:
“Companies such as Smart Reserve Holdings have been falsely claiming association with UNUM Capital and UNUM Prime. These representations are untrue, unauthorised, and unlawful…”
🔗 https://www.unum.capital/post/fraudulent-use-of-the-unum-brand-1
Following my complaint, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has referred the matter to their Investigations & Enforcement division. They cannot recover money for individuals, but they can and do act where there are breaches of financial laws.
RBC Visa has also opened an investigation into my transaction, and I have provided them with full documentation (screenshots, emails, and evidence of account closure without consent).
Who I’ve Reported This To
I have formally contacted:
- FSCA (South Africa)
- Unum Capital’s Compliance Team
- RBC Visa’s fraud/dispute department
- The RCMP
- SA Derivatives’ compliance team (attempted; email bounced)
I do not expect to recover my own funds, but I want a clear record of what has happened and who has been notified.
Final Warning
Taken together, these points paint a consistent picture:
- High-pressure tactics and emotional manipulation
- Repeated pushes for more deposits (including loans)
- Threats when clients push back
- Blocking or complicating withdrawals
- False or misleading claims about regulation and affiliations
If you are considering Smart Reserve Holdings or Alpha Trend Capital, please stay away. If you have already been drawn in, I strongly encourage you to contact your bank, local law enforcement, and relevant regulators — and, if you feel comfortable, to share your experience so others can be warned.
A Taylor'd Life 