For anyone concerned about investment fraud, it is essential to have a solid wealth protection strategy in place. Strategies like a well-funded savings account, a diversified investment portfolio, and insurance can help protect your wealth.
Diversifying your investments may not protect you from fraud, but it can mitigate risks by limiting the amount of money invested in any asset class. To learn more about how to protect your assets against loss, contact an experienced financial professional today.
Know Your Limits
When it comes to wealth preservation, knowing your limits is critical. Based on your risk tolerance and retirement goals, you may have a particular amount in savings or assets you are comfortable investing. Still, it is critical to understand your limit to protect what you have worked hard to earn.
This can include your home or other property, investments, vehicles, valuable possessions, and personal wealth. Savings, investments, and other assets can provide a cushion to help you weather unforeseen occurrences like job loss, health problems, or financial hardship.
Achieving financial security is a complex process and requires careful planning. It’s never too early to start building a nest egg or reviewing your existing investments to ensure you have what you need for the future. While change is inevitable, with proper planning and awareness, you can help prevent the loss of the assets that have helped you build your wealth and ensure you can enjoy all the fruits of your labor in retirement.
The files of state securities regulators are filled with tragic stories of senior investors whom fraudsters have ripped off.
Beware of Unsolicited Offers
Every year, thousands of people lose millions to investment fraud. You may protect yourself and your loved ones from abuse by maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism and learning to detect warning signs.
Look out for unsolicited offers and suspiciously rosy or rushed sales pitches. A reputable investment professional should never pressure you to buy or sell, nor should they require personal information like your username, password, credit card number, or PIN. Often, unscrupulous individuals will request this information to access your money.
Whenever possible, get your information in writing. This is the best way to confirm that you are dealing with a legitimate firm. Swindlers use a variety of tactics to deceive prospective investors, including false testimonials and slick brochures. They may also employ bogus credentials or experiences to add credibility and to create the impression that they have a special connection with you.
Be especially wary of anyone who promotes a thinly traded stock or touts a foreign or offshore investment. Similarly, be suspicious of investments that boast extraordinarily high and immediate returns or provide remarkably consistent returns regardless of market conditions. An example of investment fraud is Ponzi schemes or other fraudulent transactions.
Beware of Clone Firms
The fraudsters’ method of operation in these clone firm scams is to build websites that look to be legitimate investment firms. They then recruit people to make unsolicited calls, offering investment opportunities and promising high returns. They may also ask victims to pay by wire transfers or checks. Be suspicious if you are asked to pay via a wire transfer and the payment address does not match the firm you are investing with. Wire transfer payments cannot be refunded, so if you are scammed by one of these firms, you may never see your money again.
The FCA warns that even though two in five investors say they would check a company’s Firm Reference Number (FRN), checking this alone isn’t enough to protect yourself. Criminals operating clone firms often copy FRN numbers, so it’s important to double-check the contact details on the FCA register.
In addition to being wary of investments that claim high rates of return, you should be aware of the following red flags of investment fraud: guarantees, unregistered products, excessively consistent or high returns, complex strategies, accounts with discrepancies, and pushy salespeople. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can help keep your wealth safe by taking a few simple precautions. A skeptical, educated investor is the best defense against investment fraud.
Beware of Affinity Scams
Affinity fraud is an investment scam targeting members of specific groups based on shared characteristics such as race, language, age, cultural background, or religion. The fraudsters in these cases are often – or pretend to be – members of the group, and they may come highly recommended by a trusted figure within it.
These schemes are often Ponzi or pyramid schemes, whereby new investor money is paid to earlier investors to create the illusion that the so-called investments are profitable. However, once the supply of new investors runs dry, the fraudsters usually steal much or all of the invested funds for personal gain.
The best way to protect yourself against affinity fraud is to stay informed. Learn about the warning signs of investment fraud, do your research, and always verify the credentials of financial professionals before investing any money. Also, avoid being pressured into investing by any individual or entity. If you’ve fallen victim to investment fraud, do not delay reporting it to law enforcement.