Fraud Prevention (47)
Free educational guides covering every major investing topic. Each guide includes real examples, key terms, and actionable next steps.
Account Takeover: How Credential Theft Happens and How to Stop It
Account takeover fraud occurs when criminals gain access to your financial accounts using stolen credentials.
Advance Fee Fraud: Nigerian Prince Scams and Upfront Fee Schemes
Advance fee fraud tricks victims into paying upfront fees for promised windfalls that never materialize.
Affinity Fraud: When Scammers Target Your Community, Church, or Ethnic Group
Affinity fraud exploits trust within religious, ethnic, professional, and social communities. Learn how these scams operate and how to protect yourself...
Boiler Room Scams: High-Pressure Cold Calling and Securities Fraud
Boiler room operations use high-pressure sales tactics to sell worthless or overpriced securities over the phone.
Broker Fraud and Misconduct: Unauthorized Trading, Churning, and Suitability Violations
Broker misconduct includes unauthorized trading, churning accounts for commissions, unsuitable investment recommendations, and outright theft.
Business Email Compromise: CEO Fraud and Vendor Invoice Scams
Business email compromise (BEC) is one of the costliest cybercrimes, with losses exceeding $50 billion since 2013.
Charity Fraud: Fake Charities and Disaster Relief Scams
Charity fraud exploits generosity during disasters and crises. Fake charities collect donations for causes that do not exist.
Check Fraud and Check Washing: Prevention and Detection Guide
Check fraud is making a comeback with check washing and counterfeiting techniques. Learn how criminals alter checks, create fake checks, and what you can...
Churning Guide — Excessive Trading for Commissions
Learn about churning: excessive trading by brokers to generate commissions at the client's expense. Definition, detection, landmark cases, and how to...
Fake Broker Scam Guide — Impersonation Fraud in Financial Markets
Learn about fake broker scams: impersonation of legitimate brokers, unregistered solicitors, and clone firms.
Advance Fee Fraud: How Upfront Payment Scams Work and How to Avoid Them
Learn how advance fee fraud works, including Nigerian prince variants, guaranteed loan scams, recovery room scams, prime bank guarantees, and why you should never pay upfront for investment opportunit
Business Email Compromise (BEC): How B2B Wire Fraud Works and How to Stop It
Business Email Compromise (BEC) is one of the costliest cybercrimes. Learn how scammers impersonate executives and vendors to steal millions through fraudulent wire transfers, and how to implement pay
Check and Overpayment Fraud: Spotting Fake Checks and Payment Scams
Check fraud and overpayment scams are among the most common consumer frauds. Learn how scammers use fake cashier's checks, overpayments, and payment redirection to steal money from sellers, freelancer
Elder Financial Exploitation: Protecting Older Adults from Scams and Fraud
Elder financial exploitation costs seniors billions each year. Learn the common scams targeting older adults, warning signs, and how family members can help protect vulnerable loved ones.
Fake Online Shops and Online Shopping Scams: How to Spot Phantom E-Commerce Stores
Fake online shops lure victims with too-good-to-be-true deals on popular products. Learn how phantom e-commerce stores operate, how to spot fake websites, and how to protect your payment information w
High-Yield Investment Programs (HYIPs): Why They Are Almost Always Scams
Learn how HYIPs promise unrealistic returns, operate as unregistered investments, and are almost always Ponzi or pyramid schemes. How to check if an investment program is registered with the SEC.
Impersonation Scams: How Fraudsters Pose as the SEC, FINRA, and Brokers
Learn how fraudsters impersonate the SEC, FINRA, brokers, and other trusted entities. How to verify identities using the SEC's phone number (800) 732-0330, FINRA's BrokerCheck, and SEC's Investment Ad
Internet and Social Media Investment Scams: How Fraudsters Target You Online
Learn how fraudsters use social media platforms, online newsletters, chat rooms, and email to promote fraudulent investments, and how to verify online investment information.
Job and Employment Scams: Fake Job Offers, Work-from-Home Fraud, and Recruitment Scams
Job scams are on the rise. Scammers post fake job listings, conduct fake interviews, and send fraudulent offer letters to steal personal information and money. Learn how to spot employment fraud and p
Loan Shark and Debt Relief Scams: Predatory Lending and Fake Debt Settlement
Loan sharks, illegal lending schemes, fake debt relief companies, and debt collection scams target consumers under financial stress. Learn how predatory lenders operate and how to find safe alternativ
Microcap and Penny Stock Fraud: How Manipulation Works and How to Research
Learn what microcap stocks are, why they are vulnerable to manipulation, pump-and-dump of microcaps, shell companies, boiler room operations, and how to research microcaps using EDGAR and OTC Markets
Money Mule Schemes: How Criminals Use You to Launder Money and How to Avoid It
Money mule schemes recruit unsuspecting individuals to transfer stolen money through their bank accounts. Learn how these schemes work, how to recognize recruitment attempts, and the serious legal con
Phishing and Social Engineering: How Scammers Trick You and How to Stay Safe
Learn how phishing, smishing, vishing, and social engineering attacks work. Recognize the warning signs and protect your financial accounts from these common scams.
Pig Butchering Scams: The Rise of Crypto Romance Investment Fraud
Pig butchering is a sophisticated scam combining romance and fake crypto investment platforms. Learn how these syndicates operate, how to recognize them, and how to protect yourself.
Ponzi Schemes: How They Work, Red Flags, and How to Protect Yourself
Learn how Ponzi schemes work, the warning signs, famous examples like Bernie Madoff's $65 billion fraud, and how to protect yourself from falling victim.
Pump and Dump Schemes: How They Work and How to Spot Them
Learn how pump and dump schemes artificially inflate stock and crypto prices through social media manipulation, fake news, and paid promoters, and how to protect yourself.
Pyramid Schemes vs Multi-Level Marketing: How to Tell the Difference
Learn how pyramid schemes work, why they mathematically must collapse, the 6-recruits-per-level math problem, and how to distinguish them from legitimate MLM companies.
Fraud Prevention Guide — Protecting Your Investments from Scams
Essential fraud prevention strategies for investors: red flags, verification techniques, SEC and FINRA resources, and how to avoid common investment scams.
Front Running Guide — Trading Ahead of Client Orders
Learn about front running in financial markets: brokers trading ahead of client orders, detection methods, and how regulators prosecute this form of...
High-Yield Investment Fraud Guide — Too Good to Be True Returns
Learn about high-yield investment fraud (HYIF): promissory notes, prime bank programs, and other schemes promising unrealistic returns.
ICO Fraud Guide — Initial Coin Offering Scams and Token Fraud
Learn about ICO fraud: fake initial coin offerings, exit scams, and token investment fraud. Red flags including fake whitepapers, unregistered securities,...
Government Imposter and Tech Support Scams: How to Spot Fake Agents
Imposter scams are the most-reported type of fraud. Criminals pose as government agents, tech support representatives, or utility company employees to...
Investment Fraud: Types, Red Flags, and How to Protect Yourself
Comprehensive overview of the major investment fraud types including Ponzi schemes, pump and dump, affinity fraud, and advance fee scams.
Fake Stock Tips and Investment Newsletter Fraud: How Pump and Dump Promoters Use Newsletters
Investment newsletter fraud involves fake stock recommendations that are actually pump and dump schemes.
Market Manipulation Guide — Illegal Tactics to Distort Markets
Learn about market manipulation: pump-and-dump, spoofing, layering, cornering the market, and other illegal practices.
Offshore Investment Fraud Guide — Tax Havens and International Scams
Learn about offshore investment fraud: tax haven schemes, foreign currency trading scams, and international investment fraud.
Phishing and Social Engineering: How Scammers Steal Your Financial Information
Phishing attacks are responsible for over 90% of data breaches. Learn how to identify phishing emails, spear-phishing, smishing, and vishing attacks...
Ponzi Schemes vs Pyramid Schemes: Detection and Prevention Guide
Learn how Ponzi and pyramid schemes work, the key differences between them, and the red flags to watch for.
Prime Bank Fraud Guide — The Fake High-Yield Trading Program
Learn about prime bank fraud: fake bank debenture trading programs promising extraordinary returns. Understand the red flags and how this classic scam...
Pump and Dump Schemes: How They Work and How to Spot Them
Pump and dump schemes artificially inflate stock or crypto prices through false hype. Learn how these schemes operate, real examples like the Squid Game...
Pyramid Scheme Guide — How Multi-Level Marketing Becomes Fraud
Learn about pyramid schemes: how they work, the difference from legitimate MLMs, why they collapse, and how to recognize the warning signs.
Romance Scams and Financial Exploitation: How Fraudsters Exploit Love and Trust
Romance scams cost victims over $1.3 billion in 2024. Fraudsters build fake relationships online, then fabricate financial emergencies or investment...
Social Engineering Fraud Guide — Manipulating Investors to Steal Assets
Learn about social engineering fraud targeting investors: pretexting, baiting, quid pro quo, and tailgating attacks used to steal credentials and funds.
Spoofing Guide — Illegal Order Cancellation Manipulation
Learn about spoofing: placing orders with intent to cancel before execution to manipulate prices. High-profile cases, detection methods, and why it is...
Synthetic Identity Fraud: The Fastest-Growing Financial Crime in America
Synthetic identity fraud combines real and fabricated information to create fake identities. It is the fastest-growing form of identity fraud, costing...
Vishing and Smishing: Phone and SMS Phishing Attack Prevention
Vishing (voice phishing) and smishing (SMS phishing) are increasingly common attack vectors. Fraudsters use phone calls and text messages to trick victims...
Wash Trading Guide — Fake Trading Volume Explained
Learn about wash trading: buying and selling the same financial instrument simultaneously to create artificial activity.
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