{"id":7646,"date":"2022-09-26T12:05:43","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T02:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adelaideprivatewealth.com.au\/investment-scams\/"},"modified":"2022-09-26T12:05:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T02:35:43","slug":"investment-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adelaideprivatewealth.com.au\/investment-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Investment scams"},"content":{"rendered":"
Be suspicious of anyone offering you easy money. Scammers are skilled at convincing you that the investment is real, the returns are high and the risks are low. There\u2019s always a catch.<\/p>\n
There are three main types of investment scams:<\/p>\n
The investment offer is completely fake.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The investment exists, but the money you give the scammer doesn\u2019t go towards that investment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The scammer says they represent a well-known company \u2013 but they\u2019re lying.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In any case, the money you \u2018invest\u2019 goes straight into the scammer\u2019s bank account and not towards any real investment. It is extremely hard to recover your money if it goes to a scammer based overseas.<\/p>\n
Anyone can be scammed and every scam is different. Scams are often very hard to spot and can feel legitimate in the moment. Scammers can use professional-looking websites and apps, and impersonate legitimate companies.<\/p>\n
Scammers are promoting\u00a0fake green bonds<\/a>\u00a0from well-known companies through social media or on websites.<\/p>\n Green bonds are bonds that are used to finance new and existing projects that offer climate change and environmental benefits. These\u00a0bonds are not available to the general public or retail investors. The only way to invest in any green bond investment is through a\u00a0managed investment scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 1. The set up<\/strong><\/p>\n Scammers can come from anywhere. The most common approaches are:<\/p>\n Unexpected contact\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 they may contact you by phone, social media, email or text message. They might pretend to be someone you know, such as your fund manager, financial adviser, bank, or even a friend. They\u2019ll offer guaranteed or unrealistic high returns on an investment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fake investment trading\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 they use real investment trading platforms to set up fake accounts. Then they offer to trade on your behalf. Once you deposit your money it\u2019s gone for good.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fake investment comparison websites<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 scammers will get you to enter your personal information into their fake website, then contact you to sell their scam investment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Websites with fake ASIC endorsements<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 slick websites with fake investing information and performance figures. They may claim to be endorsed or approved by ASIC by showing the ASIC logo.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Dating apps<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 using romance to form a relationship with you, then offering you an investment opportunity.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Paid advertising<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 scammers often pay big money for advertisements, to appear high in online search results. They also advertise through social media. Advertising a scam is illegal.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fake news articles\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 scammers will promote fake articles on social media, impersonating other news outlets and linking to their scam websites.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 2. The offer<\/strong><\/p>\n A scammer may tell you they\u2019re offering:<\/p>\n guaranteed, quick and easy investment returns and sometimes tax-free benefits<\/p>\n<\/li>\n investments in shares, cryptocurrency, mortgage, real estate or virtual investments, all with \u2018high returns\u2019<\/p>\n<\/li>\n options trading or foreign currency trading<\/p>\n<\/li>\n commissions for building their client base and getting others to invest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n an opportunity with no risk or low risk, because you will:<\/p>\n<\/li>\n be able to sell anytime<\/p>\n<\/li>\n get a refund for non-performance<\/p>\n<\/li>\n have insured or \u2018guaranteed\u2019 transactions<\/p>\n<\/li>\n be able to swap one investment for another<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n inside information on initial public offerings or discounts for early bird investors, often falsely impersonating real companies to pitch their offer<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 3. The hook<\/strong><\/p>\n Scammers will look at the latest investment trends for opportunities. They often use well-known company names, platforms, and terms (such as \u2018crypto\u2019) to lure investors in and appear credible.<\/p>\n This may include\u00a0fake<\/strong>:<\/p>\n crypto-asset (virtual currency) investments<\/p>\n<\/li>\n trading companies, getting you to invest with them through real apps and trading platforms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n offers of inside information on public company floats, often naming ones that have been hyped in the media or on social media<\/p>\n<\/li>\n offers to get your money back from a sharemarket fall, often using losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as bait<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n Important :\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Beware of scammers offering investments or asking for payment using crypto-assets. Crypto-assets (for example, cryptocurrency) are largely unregulated in Australia and are high-risk, volatile investments. Payments using crypto are very difficult to trace and recover. See\u00a0Cryptocurrencies<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The investment offer may be a scam if the person:<\/p>\n does not have an Australian financial services (AFS) licence <\/span>or says they don\u2019t need one<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n constantly contacts you (phone calls or emails) and pressures you to make a quick decision<\/p>\n<\/li>\n uses the name of a reputable organisation to gain credibility (for example, NASDAQ, Bloomberg)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n has an investment prospectus that isn\u2019t registered with ASIC<\/p>\n<\/li>\n offers you very high investment returns<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n If you spot any of these signs, hang up the phone or delete the email. If you manage to record any of the scammer\u2019s details,\u00a0report them to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission<\/a>\u00a0(ASIC).<\/p>\n Other tactics used by investment scammers<\/strong><\/p>\n Operate from overseas<\/em><\/p>\n Overseas-based scammers target Australians because ASIC does not have international jurisdiction to prosecute them and they are very difficult to track down. They may ask you to deposit into different bank accounts every time you make a payment.<\/p>\n Investing in overseas companies can be risky. If you invest and something goes wrong, you won\u2019t be able to get help from ASIC.<\/p>\n Convincing you not to pull out of the investment<\/em><\/p>\n They may try to swap your current investment for another one, convincing you the value will increase, or threaten you with legal action or fees. A common tactic is to ask for \u2018insurance\u2019 or \u2018taxes\u2019 before funds invested can be released. This is just another method to extract more money out of victims.<\/p>\n \u2018Pump and dump\u2019 scams<\/em><\/p>\n Scammers use social media and online forums to create fake news and excitement in listed stocks to increase (or \u2018pump\u2019) the share price. Then they sell (or \u2018dump\u2019) their shares and take a profit, leaving the share price to fall. Any other investors are left with low value shares and will lose money.<\/p>\n 1. Ask questions and request information<\/strong><\/p>\n Check the legitimacy of the person offering the investment by asking them:<\/p>\n What is your name and what company do you represent?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Who owns your company?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Does your company have an AFS licence and what is the licence number?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n What is your address?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Is your investing prospectus registered with ASIC?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n If they try to avoid answering these questions, their investment offer is probably a scam. Hang up the phone, do not respond to the email. Stop dealing with the person or delete and block them if it\u2019s through social media.<\/p>\n But, even if they can answer these questions, it doesn\u2019t always mean the investment is legitimate.<\/p>\n 2. Do your own research on the company<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t rely only on the information the person gives you to make your decision \u2014 always verify what they tell you from independent sources. Don\u2019t be pressured to make a quick decision you could regret later.<\/p>\n Follow these steps to do your own research \u2014 check:<\/p>\n ASIC\u2019s OFFERlist database<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 If the company is offering shares or interests in a managed investment scheme, see if the company has lodged a disclosure document with ASIC.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Publicly listed phone directories \u2014 Check whether the address and contact details are correct.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n ASIC Connect\u2019s professional registers<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Check the company has an AFS licence or Australian credit licence. Also check that the number given matches what is on ASIC\u2019s registers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The list of\u00a0companies you should not deal with<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Make sure the company name is not on our warning list.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n International Organization of Securities Commission\u2019s (IOSCO) investor alerts<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Make sure the company is not named.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The list of\u00a0fake regulators and exchanges<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Check if the investment offer mentions an entity on this list.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Protect yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n Do your own checks on any investment opportunity to make sure it\u2019s real.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Take simple steps to\u00a0protect yourself from identity theft<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Make sure your privacy settings are up to date on your social media accounts.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Be cautious<\/strong><\/p>\n Be wary of unexpected contact, particularly if you have replied to something on a website or social media platform.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Don\u2019t trust any offer to invest if approached through social media. You don\u2019t know who you are dealing with.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Always get independent\u00a0financial advice<\/a>\u00a0before you invest.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n If you think you\u2019ve been scammed<\/strong><\/p>\n Stop sending money to the company.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Report it to your bank or financial institution.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Be wary of falling for a follow-up scam or offers to recover your money.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Report it to ASIC<\/a>\u00a0or your\u00a0report it to your local police<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Get support if you need it from\u00a0Lifeline<\/a>\u00a0(13 11 14) or the\u00a0National Debt Helpline<\/a>\u00a0(1800 007 007).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Source: Important note: This provides general information and hasn\u2019t taken your circumstances into account.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to consider your particular circumstances before deciding what\u2019s right for you. Although the information is from sources considered reliable, we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete.\u00a0You should not rely upon it and should seek qualified advice before making any investment decision. Except where liability under any statute cannot be excluded, we do not accept any liability (whether under contract, tort or otherwise) for any resulting loss or damage of the reader or any other person.\u00a0 Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns.<\/span><\/p>\n Important<\/span> The post Investment scams<\/a> appeared first on MLC Contemporary<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nHow scammers get you to invest<\/h3>\n
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How to spot an investment scam<\/h3>\n
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How to check an investment is real<\/h3>\n
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Reduce the risk of investment scams<\/h3>\n
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Reproduced with the permission of ASIC\u2019s MoneySmart Team. This article was originally published at\u00a0https:\/\/moneysmart.gov.au\/investment-warnings\/investment-scams<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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