Community Watchlist

Promises of large payments, easy money, or guaranteed returns are common elements of fraudulent investment schemes. Be very wary of any investment options that offer a large return with little or no risk. If anything seems to be too good to be true, it usually is, and it is extremely possible that it is a scam.

Before making any investments, make sure you do your homework. Using a search service such as who.is, you are able to determine who the owner of a website is. It is also a good idea to verify the name of the firm you are apparently working with against the name of any account information that you have been urged to transfer to.

In any event, the money that you purport to “invest” is really sent directly into the bank account of the con artist, and not into any actual investment. If your money is taken by a con artist operating from another country, it will be incredibly challenging to get it back.

Anyone may fall victim to a con, and every con is unique in its own way. Scams are notoriously difficult to detect, and they can seem and even feel genuine in the heat of the moment. Scammers are able to spoof real businesses by using websites and applications that have a professional appearance.

If you have seen an advertisement or received a call soliciting investment in a business and are considering doing so, we ask that you review the names on our list of investment con artists. If the name of your firm is on our list already, you may cross the investment opportunity off the list. If they are not, you may be perplexed; in that case, you may send us a complaint, and we will investigate the website in order to determine whether or not it is a fraudulent scheme.