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Monday, March 2, 2015

Top Financial Frauds for 2014 to avoid in 2015

I wish this were a myth, but there will always be misguided people who prey on the hopes and fears of the gullible, not realizing that with the same or less effort they could make an honest living!  On the State level here are the most pernicious frauds being perpetrated here in Oregon:
http://www.doj.state.or.us/releases/pdf/2014_top_ten_complaint_list.pdf

The list includes, unfortunately, 95 investment related complaints.  Which is fewer complaints than cable TV companies received.  Which I suppose is a good sign.
The most common of these frauds are Pyramid Schemes, which peter out when there are finally too many existing participants to support by ripping off new participants:

Pyramid Schemes* 


finances
Illegal pyramids typically involve a few people at the top who get their friends and relatives to give them money in return for the chance to recruit more participants. These scams are called "pyramids" because they depend on an ever-increasing supply of willing participants. Pyramids inevitably collapse because it is impossible to recruit enough people to support the scam. 



*Courtesy of the Oregon Dept. of Justice.

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