The Wisconsin Division of Securities is a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) which represents state and provincial securities regulators in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The division works closely with NASAA to provide investor education resources about investing basics, investing scams and other topics of interest. These advisories will help you avoid scams and other investing problems.
Dating apps and social media platforms may be good ways to meet new people but be cautious if someone turns a burgeoning online romance into an opportunity to solicit an investment or ask to borrow money. Scammers are increasingly posing as potential romantic partners to lure people into fraudulent investment schemes. This alert discusses some common tactics fraudsters use in investment-related romance scams and points out things you can do to protect yourself from these schemes.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) jointly issued this Investor Alert to make investors aware of the increase of investment frauds involving the purported use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. Individual investors should know that bad actors are using the growing popularity and complexity of AI to lure victims into scams.
Scammers will go to any length to steal your money and personal information, including using technology and publicly available information to impersonate someone else. By taking information from a public database of brokers and investment advisers, a scammer could pretend to be a legitimate investment professional, earn your trust, and steal your identity or convince you to send them money.
Securities regulators have seen a rise in schemes where scammers target victims with the promise of making big returns by trading other people's money. This frequently occurs online, with the scammer posting an investment opportunity on a social media platform or reaching out to unwitting recipients via a messaging application (such as WhatsApp).
To avoid online scams, it is important to keep on top of the web services, subscriptions, and passwords you are using. This investor advisory explains how you can take a proactive role in staying more secure online.
This investor alert warns Wisconsin investors to beware of precious metals schemes designed to drain retirement savings.
This investor advisory explains why some investors may be exposed to risky investments in the crypto industry without knowing it. Investors should understand what assets are being held in their investment portfolio.
This investor advisory warns against answering unsolicited text messages from unknown senders.
This investor advisory explains single stock ETFs and the risks involved with them.
This investor advisory highlights some current metaverse investment scams and discusses ways that investors can protect themselves.
This investor advisory explains what finfluencers are, how they are compensated, what you should keep in mind when you are exposed to finfluencers’ content, red flags to watch out for, and resources available to you.
The relationship you have with your financial adviser is a key element to meeting your long-term financial goals. If your stockbroker or investment adviser leaves his or her employer, you should make sure that you understand how and why it happened. It could be as simple as a move to another city or retirement, but there could be other reasons too. It is critical to find out what happened before deciding who will help you with your investments going forward.
Decentralized finance, or DeFi, is a relatively new blockchain-based set of financial services gaining popularity and acceptance. This NASAA Investor Advisory discusses DeFi, the technology behind it, and how you can protect yourself from falling victim to a scam.
As financial technology has evolved, it has given consumers the ability to shop, save, and invest online using their phones, tablets, and computers. These modern financial conveniences, however, come with risk.
An informed investor will pay particular attention to a fund’s expense ratio, which, over time, can affect a fund’s earnings significantly.
As climate change and social concerns have grown in recent years, many investors are becoming more conscious of whether a company in which they are investing has considered environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
In our digitally connected world, some investors turn to online chatrooms and social media platforms for information about investing or specific investment opportunities. While ever-evolving technology makes investing more accessible to greater numbers of people, the informed investor knows that technological democratization also brings significant risk.
NASAA, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the staff of the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy have joined to raise awareness that increased social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic can have a devastating impact on senior investors.
NASAA and FINRA have joined to encourage investors to proceed cautiously with new investment opportunities considering the potential for fraudsters to take advantage of the buzz surrounding companies promoting products and services related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Not every initial coin offering (ICO) or cryptocurrency-related investment is fraudulent, but investors should approach any initial coin offering or cryptocurrency-related investment product with extreme caution.
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