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More About Stockbroker and Investment Fraud

Stockbroker fraud can appear in many different forms, but the most well recognized are those called Ponzi schemes. Ponzi schemes are fraudulent investment practices in which consumers are offered abnormally high yields on their investments in an unrealistically short amount of time. This is achieved by constantly pulling in new investors and using the new funds to pay initial investors and the brokerage firm itself. Often the high returns encourage consumers to leave their money in the scheme, with the result that the firm does not have to pay out very much to investors. Instead, firms or advisors simply send consumers statements showing how much they have earned. This maintains the deception that the scheme is an investment with high returns. Also, withdrawals are minimized by offering new plans to investors, sometimes where money is frozen for a longer period of time, in exchange for higher returns.

Signs & Symptoms

Ponzi schemes and other forms of investment fraud share common characteristics. Look for these warning signs: high investment returns with little or no risk as any investment carries a degree of risk, and overly consistent returns as normally investment values go up and down. Other clues that the investment could be fraudulent are complex strategies, issues with paperwork, difficulty receiving payments, and unregistered investments.

Diagnosis

If you have invested money with a firm that you believe might be fraudulent, or have lost money in a fraudulent investment, you may be eligible for financial compensation. In 2010 the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) reported that on average investors were awarded damages in 47% of cases. Current examples include Bernie Madoff and Nicholas Cosmo of Agape World Inc. and their Ponzi schemes. Even Martha Stewart went to jail for investment fraud! Let Lawsuit Winning help get you the financial compensation that you deserve – complete the free and easy claim review form today.