Using the Internet to Avoid Investment Scams (Part 1 of 2)

Can you tell the difference between a legitimate high-risk investment and one that is a scam? The Alliance for Investor Education recently published a list of the top 12 resources to help investors identify high risk investments and avoid scams.

As Columbus investment fraud lawyers, we find this list to be important. In this series of articles, we will take a closer look at the resources suggested by the Alliance for Investor Education.

The first half of the Alliance's list includes:

1. FINRA's The Grass Isn't Always Greener-Chasing Return in a Challenging Investment Environment: This alert reminds investors that higher returns are often higher risk. It provides questions to ask before investing and explains the basics of different legitimate high-risk investments.
2. American Association of Individual Investor's Outrageous Advertising: A Survival Guide for Investors: In this column, you'll learn about potential warning signs of a scam that may be apparent in investment advertisements.
3. Security and Exchange Commission's Foreign Currency Exchange (FOREX) Trading for Individual Investors: This SEC investor bulletin explains why Forex trading is risky and not appropriate for all investors.
4. Federal Trade Commission's Investment Risks: These facts for consumers advise investors about the potential fraud associated with new businesses that sound too good to be true and also provides important questions to ask before investing.
5. North American Securities Administrator Association's Con Artists Find Profit in Get-Rich Schemes Tied to Economic Uncertainty: In this press release, NASAA announced its 2011 list of financial products and practices that may be fraudulent and cause investors harm.
6. CFA Institute's A Practical Guide to Risk Management: This publication addresses how to assess and manage financial risk.

When to Call a Columbus Stockbroker Fraud Attorney

Even if you take the time to carefully educate yourself with the above resources and ask hard questions of those soliciting your investment, you may still find yourself to be the victim of financial fraud. If that has happened to you, then you are not without legal recourse.

To schedule a free consultation with an experienced Ohio investment fraud lawyer, please call the Law Firm of Meyer Wilson today at 614-224-6000 or toll-free at 1-866-827-6537. We also invite you to read our FREE book for more information about your rights and potential recovery: Five Signs of Investment Fraud... And What to Do if it's Happened to You.

*Source: The Investor's Clearinghouse, Understanding High-Risk Investments: 12 Of The Best Resources To Invest And Save Wisely, September 14, 2011.