Investments

Avoiding Investment Scams

Investment scams are one of the most common types of scam – both online and off. Tapping into people’s greed and promising high returns, most investment scams tend to follow a similar pattern across industries – with one key truth. If it looks to good to be true, it is.

Although many traditional investment vehicles are subject to close scrutiny and legal safeguards this doesn’t stop scammers finding ways to part you from your hard-earned cash. From miss-selling, to bait-and-switch, false advertising to illegal pyramid and ponzi schemes, if they can hit your buttons just right, scammers can take you for thousands.

Many investment frauds, including online scams, involve unregistered securities — so always investigate before you invest. Even in highly-regulated investment markets such as stocks and shares – scammers will promote “trading systems” – where your success is guaranteed allowing you to “finally live the life you deserve” – for a small one-time investment.

Beware of promoters who pressure you to buy before you have a chance to think about and fully investigate an investment opportunity. Don’t fall for the line that you’ll lose out on a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to make big money if you don’t act quickly.

Never invest based solely on what you read in an online newsletter, post, website, or blog — especially if the investment involves a small company that isn’t well-known. It’s easy for a company or its promoters to make grandiose claims without anything concrete to back it up.

And of course check the latest investment scam advice at the FTC.

Some investments are heavily targeted by scammers, so we list them all at ScamReport.com. From cryptocurrency to precious metals, stocks to real estate – we detail all the common scams and will only list trusted companies in our directory.

So how can you protect yourself when looking for investment opportunities?

• Only use legitimate and trusted companies, such as those we list above.
• Do not deal with companies who call you – be the one to reach out to the company. Robocalls tend to indicate a sophisticated sales structure where agents are paid on commission.
• Whenever someone promotes any investment or investment service, ask yourself a couple of questions: Why is this person offering me this opportunity? How might he or she benefit if I sign up?
• Check a company’s credentials at the BBB and with your local Chamber of Commerce if they are in-state.
• Read online reviews – is there a pattern of complaints with the company concerned?

And most importantly, if they guarantee you a specific return – be very wary. With any investment there’s little that can be guaranteed – past performance is never a guarantee of future results.