Investment scams
Americans lose more money to investment scams than any other type of scam. These scams are hard to spot.
Don't lose your life savings to money-making opportunities that are too good to be true.
Scammers use convincing marketing techniques and new technology to make their investments sound too good to pass up. They promise you high returns with little to no risk. They often use pressure tactics to get you to act quickly so they can steal your money.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Steps you can take to protect yourself
Always stop, think and check before you act. These scams usually force you to act quickly. Don't let them rush you into making the wrong decision.
Get independent legal advice or financial advice from a financial adviser registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
Do your due diligence to ensure you know who you are dealing with. Ensure that the company or website is not listed on the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Investor Alert List.
Other things to check
Whether the person you are dealing with works for the organization they say they do, using contact details you find yourself
Whether the person trying to sell you a financial or investment product or give you financial advice holds an American Financial Services (AFS) license
The company's address and contact information is correct in the public listing directory
The company's stock is listed on a stock exchange. If the offer to buy shares is much lower than the indicated market value, it is a scam. Be even more careful if you are told that the stock was issued prior to an initial public offering (IPO)
Domain name registration time. A new website for an existing company is a warning sign.
