You might come across great opportunities to invest your money, either through a friend or after attending a fancy seminar. This scam is targeting people in their thirties, forties or fifties, who are looking for long term financial security. If you are one of them, beware. Otherwise, feel free to share you experience in the Comments section below. Let's dive in.
You are told that you could be part of the forming of a new offshore bank. You are also told that you are a fortunate individual to benefit from this. Feeling important as several high-end financial gurus are involved in the project; after a couple of meetings with a group of investors you decide to pitch in $15,000 and be part of the deal.
How does the scam work?
You will receive brochures and printed materials that will describe the project and - most importantly - you will receive monthly statements that will show your profit. You might even be invited to double your earnings by investing twice as much - and you might cough up another $10,000.
All the paperwork looks official, but the scam happens when it is time for the payout. You can't reach anybody, all the phone lines are disconnected, and all your high-end friends are gone. They are financial gurus, remember? They just invested in people like you, who can give them tens of thousands of dollars for useless but nicely printed-paper.
If you don't have experience in investments, never start with the most significant project you can handle. It's great to feel important, but it's depressing when you realize you were taken for a ride.
Warn your family and friends about the Offshore Investment Scam by sharing this article on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodic emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
Scam Detector recently partnered with Travel by Dart, an inspirational web-series where two friends blindfoldedly throw a dart at the world map and travel wherever it lands, with the purpose of helping the land or the people. Click HERE or on the image below to watch the trailer of the series!
1. Upgrade Existing Home Security System
3. Emergency Garage Door Repair Scam
5. Water Heater Repair Service Scam