Why you could be the next victim of investment fraud
Sounds crazy right? After all, it’s never happened to you. But as recent events in the news have shown, it just may be a matter of when. According to our research, Albertans are a confident lot – almost too confident when it comes to investing. This overconfidence and a lack of planning make a number of Albertans vulnerable to investment fraud.
For example, while 87% of Albertans agreed that you should never make an investment without researching, only 57% said they personally researched their last investment. And 90% of Albertans said that having a financial plan is important, but only 42% said they have a plan with clear investment goals.
When investors lack the solid foundation of knowing their goals and acceptable risk levels, they are susceptible to fraudsters who use high pressure sales tactics to steer potential investors towards a tempting offer, whether it is the right investment for them at that time, or not.
That’s why we’re launching a public awareness campaign starting October 5 as part of Investor Education month. The campaign is specifically aimed at addressing the fact that anyone can be the victim of fraud or simply a poor investment decision regardless of their age or gender. Throughout the campaign we encourage investors to check out our website to seek more information about investing and do their homework BEFORE they invest.
Over the next four weeks we’ll be running a television commercial that shows what can happen to a father/daughter relationship when you don’t ask the right questions and jump into an investment opportunity with your heart and not your head. Let us know if you see the commercial and if it made an impression with you or your friends … or better yet, let us know if it made you go to our website to check out the tools and resources we have for investors.