I have been looking at quite a few stocks like Google, Baidu, V, LDK,
HYBR and TLVA to make some investment of bout 4k USD

One question I have is, say if a broker firm puts the shutters down on
its shop and run away with the money then how can a small invester
catch them? I know
SIPC will take care "IF" a broker company goes bankrupt. However, if
its not
a case of bankruptcy but rather the case is, say, broker firm runs
away with peoples
money, then how to get back the money invested in stocks thru the
online portal of the broker firm?

I am from UK and I was planning to open an account with zecco as they
have the best rates on the net which I have realised after looking
into all well known websites such as etrade, ameritrade, sharebuilder
and schwab. Out of all of these zecco looks best when it comes to
commissions and fee they charge. However, I am not sure how reliable
they are and if they do a runner tomorrow how do I get my money back
is my main concern.

Any advice from you guys on zecco and my concern about safety/security
of money will be really helpful

Cheers!