Investment Fraud

INVESTMENT FRAUD Know The Facts General stats about INVEŠTMENT FRAUD; Anyone can be a victim of INVESTMENT FRAUD Over a million Canadians have become victims of INVESTMENT FRAUD 38% Just under four-in-ten Canadians have been approached with a fraudulent investment TTTTT and four per cent of Canadians have invested money in what turned out to be an investment fraud. Top three ways Canadians were most recently approached with INVESTMENT FRAUD 33% 28% 18% Through a friend, on the telephone family member, neighbour or co-worker Via email By a stranger Email is one of the most common ways that Canadians are approached with INVEŠTMENT FRAUD FRAUD & The Internet Six out of ten online investors state that the media is their number one TTTT source for information on investing, and half use general web searches. 30% of Canadians who come across investment opportunities on their own, find out about it through the internet. 26% 34% of Canadians are using or are considering using online investing as a way to make and manage their investments. of Canadians who have been approached with a scam actually report it to their local securities regulator. Red Flags Learn the Real Signs of : ONLINE INVESTMENT SCAMS Learn to recognize the warning signs of investment fraud to better protect your financial future. Guaranteed high returns, no risk. There is no such thing. All investing involves some level of risk. Pressure to invest right away. Phrases like “Invest Now" and short investing deadlines are used to prompt immediate decisions. Tax-free and offshore. You can't avoid taxes and money held offshore is difficult to get back if something goes wrong. Lack of quality information. Buzz words and complex diagrams may look impressive, but they give little detail about what the investment is actually about. All you need to know ` in Under 5 Minutes: Before making any investment, whether it is online or offline, there are five things that you can do to arm yourself against a persuasive pitch from a scam artist. 1' Know your goals Before you invest, take time to set out your investment goals. Not having a plan can make you an easy target and you can easily be persuaded to invest in something that sounds appealing. 2' Know who you're dealing with Find out if the individual or firm offering the investment is registered and whether they have been the subject of enforcement action. Understand their qualifications, and the product or service they are selling you. 3' Know your investments Understand what you're investing in, how the investment works, including any fees, and whether it fits with your goals and risk tolerance. 4' Know the red flags of online investment fraud Familiarize yourself with the red flags of online investment fraud, as once you've given your money to an online scam artist, it's likely gone for good. 5' Know where to go for help Contact your local securities regulator for information on investing and how to recognize, avoid and report online investment scams. Tip: Reporting a potential investment fraud or scam helps securities commissions with their investigations. While it can feel embarrassing to come forward, your tip could help save other fellow Canadians from losing their life savings. (relevant link: http://bluehedgeisntreal.ca/report.php) FinancialHighway Your highway to financial freedom Source: 2009 CSA Investor Index. Bank of Montreal InvestorLine survey July 2010 Special Thanks to: Canadian Securities Administrator and Alberta Securities Commission.