As people around the world struggle to cope with rapidly rising inflation and energy costs many are desperate to find new ways of earning and growing money.
For some, it’s about achieving financial goals, such as owning property, that would otherwise seem impossible. For others, it’s a matter of survival. Unfortunately, scammers are all too well aware of that desperation and are more than happy to exploit it.
Read: Tips to avoid being scammed when investing in cryptocurrency
In fact, in the UK, reports of investment scams have risen 193% in the last five years. While it’s difficult to find similar numbers for South Africa, the significant number of high-profile stories around investment scams in the country shows that it’s a significant problem here too. And thanks to advances in technology, it’s easier than ever for scammers to appear legitimate and lure in victims.
Sadly, the world is full of scams. But with a little know-how, investors can go a long way to ensuring that they don’t fall victim to those scams.
Here are five tactics that prospective investors can use to help protect themselves from investment scams:
1. Do your research and stick with what you understand
Whether they operate online or in person, investment scammers will often promise incredible returns. In many cases, they will portray themselves as beneficiaries of those returns, posting pictures on social media of themselves driving exotic cars, flying on private jets, and living in mansions. But all too often they’re faking it.
If you do a little research it will quickly become apparent how little substance there is to the claims these scammers are making. While putting the name of the product plus ‘scam’ into Google won’t always generate accurate results, it’s a good place to start.
It’s also important to note that investors are much less likely to get scammed if they avoid investments they don’t understand. It’s been a guiding principle for Warren Buffett and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be for you.
2. Verify, verify, and verify again
Even if your research doesn’t raise any red flags, you should still take steps to verify that the people you’re trusting your money with are legitimate investors.
In South Africa, if the platform is legitimate, it should be licensed by the Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) and should display its FSP (Financial Service Provider) number on all marketing material. If they’re an international platform, the same should be true of the countries they operate in.
3. Look for the red flags
The saying, ‘if it looks too good to be true, it probably is’ is as relevant as always. Look out for red flags such as promises of outsized returns and guarantees that you’ll make a quick buck.
Another red flag to look out for is if you’re being pressured to sign up for an investment quickly. If it’s a worthwhile investment now, chances are it will still be worthwhile in two weeks, a month, or however long it takes you to feel comfortable with it.
Also be wary of unsolicited investment offers. If an investment really is good, the people behind it won’t need to approach ordinary members of the public through their social media direct messages. The demand would already be there.
4. Understand risk
In the investing sector, high returns usually require being willing to take on a high degree of risk. In the venture capital (VC) space, for example, investors expect 25% to 30% of the startups they invest in to fail completely with another 30% to 40% breaking even, and a small minority producing rapid and substantial returns. They know this and spread their money accordingly, reducing the overall risk.
Once you understand risk, it becomes a lot easier to spot if someone is scamming you. If they’re promising big returns without making it clear that there are significant risks, then you should avoid them at all costs.
5. Don’t spend more than you’re willing to lose
Of course, some scammers are so convincing that even if you exercise incredible caution, you’ll still end up falling victim to them. But you can still buy yourself significant protection by not investing more than you’d be willing to write off completely.
During the Gamestop saga and at the height of the crypto bubble, people were taking out loans, remortgaging their homes, and withdrawing their pensions in the hopes of making outsized, quick returns. While many were investing in legitimate platforms, they were hurt really badly when things came crashing down. If they’d exercised a little caution, they still would’ve lost money but their lives wouldn’t have materially changed. The same is true for the victims of scammers.
Stick with established platforms with strong track records.
Now that you have a guide for staying safe from online investment scammers, how can you ensure that you get maximum returns on your investments?
It really is simple
Follow the people who have strong track records on established, trusted platforms and who are endorsed by the platforms themselves. Doing what they do doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get the same returns, but you’ll definitely be safer than if you put your trust and money into an investment vehicle that’s apparently come out of nowhere.
Heloise Greeff is Director of Greeff Invest.
Listen: How to go about investing online
