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What You Should Know

Avoiding investment fraud

Each year billions of dollars are lost to fraudulent investments. Some of the most common include:
  • Illegal pyramids, insider trading, and unlicensed investment brokers
  • High-risk "penny" stocks and fraudulent securities
  • Fraudulent franchises and business opportunities
  • Internet services, 900-numbers, and high-tech investments promising high profits and minimal risk
  • Opportunities to invest in movie deals and other entertainment ventures with promises of guaranteed profits and failure to disclose risk
To protect yourself from becoming a victim of investment fraud, take the following actions:
  • Become informed about investments and industries before investing
  • Talk with others who have made similar investments
  • Obtain information from state and federal regulatory agencies
  • Never buy over the phone without first investigating the situation
  • Avoid investment opportunities promising large returns in a short amount of time that seem "too good to be true" -- they probably are!


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The Truth in Savings Act (Federal Reserve Regulation DD)
Avoiding investment fraud
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