The FBI warned Americans, on July 27, of fraudsters who are swindling investors while pretending to be registered financial brokers or investment advisers. They said fraudsters may falsely claim to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or a state securities regulator in efforts to lure investors into scams. They may also impersonate real investment professionals who are actually registered with these organizations.
Red flags include promises of guaranteed high investment returns, unsolicited offers, and suspicious or unusual requests relating to payment methods for investments. Report possible securities fraud to the SEC at www.sec.gov/tcr. Report online fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov.
As reported, the State departments of tax, the office of information technology services, and the department of consumer protection issued tips to New Yorkers earlier this year, on March 5, to help them protect sensitive information, guard against identity theft, and prevent tax fraud.