We are all aware of how common scams are, and every year, investment scams cost their victims tens of thousands of dollars, and sometimes even more. Unfortunately, it is really easy to become a victim of this, and even those who are supposed to know better, don’t always do.
We think that only the elderly can be targeted for things like this, but the scary statistics show that people who are between the ages of 30 and 50 are the ones who are most likely to get frauded. Here, we are going to help you battle this, and we will try and give you some tips on how to identify and avoid common investment scams.
How to notice it?
Now let’s see how you can notice these frauds and how to be sure that you are not dealing with someone reputable and reliable. Know that the first thing that is going to happen is that you are going to be randomly contacted by an individual who is saying that they are working for a company or a brand that you have never collaborated with before.
When it comes to reliable firms, they are never going to contact you out of the blue without giving you some information about your collaboration with them, and they are not just going to offer you the deal of your lifetime.
Know that you may be contacted in person, just by a random person stopping you on the street or knocking on your door, you may get an unsolicited email or message, and you may also be approached by a phone call.
More often than not, if you get contacted via the phone or at your doorstep, the person on the other side will not have any information about you, including your name. Even though in some cases, they may have basic information about you, chances are, they will not know anything specific or private.
They will offer you an amazing deal, but in most cases, they will not give you enough information or data about their company or brand, and they will not let you call them or their offices.
The scam here comes from the fact that sometimes con artists are going to say that they represent the biggest bank in your location or a reputable company, and if you want to reach out directly to that business, they will try to steer you away from that, and they will just give you their phone number or email where you have to contact only them.
This comes from the fact that they are not actually representing the big-name brand that they claim they are, and the con artist is using the brand name without their approval.
If you ever suspect that you have been contacted by someone who is trying to scam you, and if you suspect that you are a victim of fraud, you should read more about the things you can do and the advocates that can help you in a case like this.
If you ever stop to think about the possibility of investment, they will say that this is a limited-time offer and that you need to act as soon as possible. You will not be given any time to consider or do your research, and they will try and persuade or force you to act right away. The reason for this is that the more time you have to consider, the bigger the chances are that you will find out that you are being scammed.
Even if you get some time to do your research, more often than not, you will not be able to find the exact address of the person that contacted you, and you will only be able to reach them via their private cellphone number.
Finally, in every case when there is an investment scam, you are going to be offered the possibility to make a huge amount of profits, with just a small investment, and in addition to this, they will promise you that the risk is minimal, or even nonexistent.
Basically, you will be approached by a stranger who offers you all the things that you have ever wanted, the possibility to make millions within a short amount of time, and you will need to act as soon as possible, because if you miss out on this opportunity, someone else, who is smarter than you will become a millionaire in a day.
What to do to protect yourself?
When it comes to avoiding these issues and protecting yourself, the most important thing is not to trust these people. Unless you know that you are going to be contacted by a corporation that you have collaborated with and unless you can vet them and what they are offering, chances are, they are trying to scam you.
If someone you have never heard of comes to you via any social media platform, including your personal accounts like Skype or anything else, and they offer you to invest in their brand or idea, you should not believe them and you should steer away from them.
Reject the opportunity, even if it sounds like rejecting the deal of a lifetime, especially if you are forced to make a decision on the spot. If you have more time to think about it, then you should check official sources like the FCA register, and see if the business is legitimate or if they have been known to scam people.
In case you want to make an investment and you are looking for the best brand to do that with, you should always talk to a financial advisor, see what they offer you, and do the research on your own. Even if you are interested in the brand or the offer that you have gotten from the random person that approached you, never put your money right away, and always check the validity of the offer.
Getting scammed is pretty easy, especially nowadays, so you need to be smart and never act as soon as an opportunity presents itself. Take your time, gather information, and remember that all of these funding processes come with a risk. If someone tries to tell you that there is no way for you to lose your money, chances are, they are being dishonest.
