Prevent Financial Fraud: Before You Invest, Ask and Check
October 19 – October 25, 2014
Each year, an estimated 13.5 percent of U.S. consumers (30.2 million people) are defrauded, losing a total of close to $3 billion. A survey conducted by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation of U.S. adults age 40 and over found that more than 80 percent of respondents had been solicited to participate in a potentially fraudulent scheme, and more than 40 percent of those surveyed could not identify the classic red flags of fraud. Learn more about the risk factors and red flags of financial fraud. Help spread the FINRA Foundation’s consumer strategy, Ask and Check to help prevent Americans from fraud victimization, which can have devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities.
NCPC Resources
Audio/Video
Elder Financial Fraud News Segment: This video highlights the prevalence and severity of senior financial fraud and provides tips on how to avoid being scammed.
The Call: This radio-ready PSA provides useful tips on how to avoid becoming a scam victim (available in 30 second and 60 second formats).
Seniors and Mortgage Fraud Podcast: Listen to how counseling services help seniors and what economic factors seniors are facing. Find out what makes seniors vulnerable to scams, the most common scams, and how they lead to mortgage and reverse mortgage fraud.
Improving Public Safety Series Podcast on Senior Crime: This informative podcast features Doug Shadel, Senior State Director of AARP, as he describes helpful ways seniors and their families can protect themselves from financial fraud.
“School for Scoundrels” TV Ad: This PSA works with the Seniors and Telemarketing Fraud 101 booklet to teach seniors how to avoid scams.
Senior Financial Crimes Reproducible and Localizable Outreach Tools: These tools help law enforcement and crime prevention practitioners teach senior citizens how to foil “scoundrels and scams” (available in flier, palm card, and poster size)
Senior Scams Reproducible and Localizable Outreach Tools: These tools help law enforcement and crime prevention practitioners teach senior citizens how to protect themselves against scams.
• Available in English in palm card, flier, and poster sizes
• Available in Spanish in palm card, flier, and poster sizes
Partner Resources
Training
Find an investment fraud prevention trainer near you and arrange a presentation for your community.
Kits/Resources
Crime Prevention Month Kit 2013-2014 – Protecting Your Assets: Keeping Our Communities Safe from Financial Fraud – Colorful, informative, and reproducible for crime prevention practitioners, law enforcement, and community members, this Crime Prevention Month kit will help people spot and stop scams.
“Fighting Fraud 101: Smart Tips for Investors”: This booklet is a great educational resource.
Avoiding Investment Scams: This FINRA Foundation Alert warns investors about classic types of investment fraud and helps investors spot and avoid the types of persuasion tactics used by fraudsters.
Investor Knowledge Quiz: Test your knowledge on smart and safe investments.
Sign-up for Investor News Alerts.
Order a free DVD of the award-winning documentary, Trick$ of the Trade: Outsmarting Investment Fraud.”
Print Tools
Financial Fraud Study ‒ The FINRA Investor Education Foundation's 2013 research report, Financial Fraud and Fraud Susceptibility in the United States (PDF 417 KB), contributes to a deeper understanding of financial fraud.
Taking Action: An Advocate’s Guide to Assisting Victims of Financial Fraud – More than 30 million Americans are victims of financial fraud each year. Advocates can use this new tool to support fraud victims.
Scams, Schemes, and Swindles – The Financial Fraud Research Center presents a summary of research on consumer financial fraud. This white paper outlines what experts know (and what they have yet to learn) about consumer financial fraud – its prevalence, victims, perpetrators, and methods.
Program and Outreach Toolkit – This new release for the Investor Protection Campaign on
