Top Investment Fraud And Scams To Be Aware Of
Top Investment Fraud And Scams To Be Aware Of
If you don’t understand an investment, don’t invest. A thorough research by you and your adviser should be done in order to get all the facts along with the pros and cons of the product involved. Without a full understanding of how it works your ill-advised investments could come back to haunt you.
• Foreign Exchange Trading. Forex is not for everybody. Watch out for scams that have
sophisticated-sounding offers. Remember: If you don’t understand an investment, don’t
invest.
• Internet Fraud. Internet scams come in the form of unsolicited e-mails, instant
messages, and phony websites promising huge returns. Remember: The internet can be a
con artist’s dream with easy access to you and your money.
• Unlicensed Individuals & Unregistered Products. Anyone selling securities or
providing investment advice should have a valid license to do so. Remember: Carefully
check out anyone offering to help you buy or sell securities or providing investment
advice.
• Investment Seminars. People eager for investment knowledge are sometimes trapped by
unsuitable investments which are offered together with free investment seminars. These
investments may involve high risk and low returns. Remember: There’s no such thing as
a free lunch.
• Prime Bank Schemes. Scammers who want to sell people the idea of high-yield prime
banks only want profits for themselves. Remember: Often the most sophisticated
sounding investments are just false promises.
• Private Securities Offerings. Be aware of private securities offerings under Rule 506
Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933. Remember: It pays to consult a trusted
financial adviser especially with lightly regulated investment offerings.
• Affinity Fraud. Cultural, Religious, and professional groups are sometimes targeted to
promote investment schemes by convincing people that a fraudulent investment is
legitimate. Remember: Investigate before you invest no matter who is selling.
• Gas and Oil Scams. High oil prices have prompted a lot of alternative energy
investments. Most of them are highly risky and not appropriate for smaller investors.
Remember: Con artists tend to follow the headlines.
Securities and advisory services offered through NATIONAL PLANNING CORP. (NPC) Member
FINRA, SIPC, and a Registered Investment Advisor. Trilogy Financial Services and NPC are separate and unrelated entities.