You get an email or a phone call urging you
to buy shares in a company or invest in gold
and triple your money in six months.
These offers sound too good to be true
because they are.
Take these precautions before you invest your
hard-earned money
and avoid potential investment fraud.
Make sure to ask plenty of questions before
you make any investment,
including: Is the financial product registered
with the SEC or state securities agencies?
What are the fees?
How does the investment company make money?
If you're considering investing in a publicly
traded company, look up information about its
finances and operations
in the SEC's EDGAR database.
Be weary of free investment seminars,
especially ones that include lunch.
Scammers often figure that if they do you
a small favor, you'll feel obligated to invest.
For more scam prevention tips, go to aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork.
And make sure to tune in to RFD-TV the third
Thursday of each month
for "Rural America Live" with AARP.
