Investment or business fraud schemes will try to lure you in with the promise of low- or no-risk investments.
Scammers often ask for upfront cash in exchange for guaranteed future returns. There is no such thing as a guaranteed return on investment. It's a scam.
Learn what to look out for, how to protect yourself and your family, and what to do if you're a victim.
Report Business and Investment Fraud
- Contact the FBI online at tips.fbi.gov.
- File a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Reach out to your local FBI field office.
- Report internet-enabled fraud schemes to to ic3.gov.
Advance fee schemes ask you to invest upfront money for a larger return later, such as a loan, contract, or gift.
Nigerian Letter or 419 schemes ask someone to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author—a self-proclaimed government official—is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria.
Ponzi schemes use current investors' money to pay previous investors. They inevitably collapse.
Pyramid schemes ask you to bring in new investors to make a profit or recoup your investment.
Telemarketing fraud schemes try to steal your money over the phone, whether by telling you won a prize, are in legal trouble, or some other approach.
If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
- Do your homework and thoroughly research any investment opportunity independently of what any salesperson provides you.
- Never rush into an investment opportunity. If you are rushed or told not to discuss it with others, you're being scammed.
- There is no such thing as a guaranteed return.
Related FBI News and Multimedia
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01.31.2023
John DeMarr of Santa Ana, California, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison for his participation in a cryptocurrency and securities fraud scheme.
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01.31.2023
Ryan Guidry of Pleasant Hill has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison for participating in a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme involving DC Solar.
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01.25.2023
Nashville Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Ponzi Scheme
Katie Lynn Mancuso of Nashville, who bilked investors by claiming that her sports marketing agency represented famous athletes, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
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01.24.2023
Former CEO of Email Security Company Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
Robert Bernardi of McLean, Virginia, has been sentenced to five years in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud investors.
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01.24.2023
Former Miami-Dade County Resident Sentenced to Prison for Running Ponzi Scheme
Former Miami-Dade County resident Judith Dianne Paris-Pinder has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for defrauding more than 500 people through a Ponzi scheme.
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01.24.2023
Former Energy Company Executive Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for $15 Million Investment Fraud
Joey Stanton Dodson, formerly of Indio, has been sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding investors of more than $15 million.
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01.17.2023
Derek Jones, a disbarred California attorney, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for running fraudulent investment funds through which he defrauded investors of over $8.6 million.
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01.18.2023
Justin Costello of Las Vegas, who previously lived in Bellevue, Washington, pleaded guilty to securities fraud.
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01.17.2023
El Paso Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Ponzi Scheme Disguised as Crypto Investment Firm
Abner Tinoco of El Paso has pleaded guilty in federal court to five counts of wire fraud.
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01.17.2023
Cary Man Indicted on 23 Counts of Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in Ponzi Scheme
Kumar Arun Neppalli of Cary has been arrested upon the unsealing of a 23-count indictment in connection with an investment fraud scam.