217832 330 First Aid & Safety Crime Prevention true Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:00:41 -0800 investing, investment, fraud, awareness, preventing, business, scams, stock, market, money How To Recognize and Avoid Ponzi Schemes http://www.howcast.com/videos/217832-How-To-Recognize-and-Avoid-Ponzi-Schemes http://www.howcast.com/videos/217832-How-To-Recognize-and-Avoid-Ponzi-Schemes/edit live 1 Namarie http://img.howcast.com/images/icons/howto-xxlarge.png 986 86424 1 0 Step Be skeptical Be skeptical. Ever since 1920, when Charles Ponzi cheated New Englanders out of millions, prudent investors have known that anything that sounds too good to be true probably is.

]]> 86425 2 0 Step Understand the con Understand how a Ponzi scheme works: The mastermind collects money from investors for a nonexistent venture, and early investors are paid so-called interest from the cash provided by new investors. The scheme collapses when the initial investors want their principal back and there aren’t enough subsequent investors to cover it.

]]> 86426 3 0 Step Question high returns Question a plan that promises a much higher return on your money than you could hope to receive through the usual channels, like stocks, bonds, and certificates of deposit. If you don’t fully understand the investment, don’t invest until it’s explained in terms you can understand.

]]> 86427 4 0 Tip Keep in mind that the possibility of high returns almost always comes with high risk, even in legitimate ventures.

]]> 86428 5 0 Step Be wary of monthly pay promises Be wary of the promise of a tidy monthly interest payment. Many Ponzi schemes use that promise as bait.

]]> 86429 6 0 Step Watch out for the cousin Watch out for Ponzi scheme’s cousin – the Pyramid scheme. This con gets people to buy into a distributorship where they market a particular product. The catch? The real money is made by bringing in new owners and taking a cut of their investment. Only a few people who got in at the start make money off all those who join later.

]]> 86430 7 0 Tip Always beware of companies that require you to bring in new investors in order to recoup your initial investment and start making profits.

]]> 86431 8 0 Step Do your homework Check with the Securities and Exchange Commission or your state’s Office of Financial Regulation to see if the person who approached you is licensed and if the investment is registered. If it’s a foreign investment, check with the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

]]> 86432 9 0 Fact In 2008, Bernard Madoff was accused of bilking investors out of $50 billion in an elaborate Ponzi scheme.

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hIc-FW1SxM8 First Aid & Safety Crime Prevention 0 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/66397/0_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/66397-Avoiding-Holiday-Scams 330 66402 James Randi, "Head-on" and Homeopathy YoutubeGuide 191 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:47:01 -0700 1 moneytalks ]]> 100 challenge, dollar, finance, head-on, health, homeopath, james, million, money, news, randi, remedy, talks tYFwT1LcBdI First Aid & Safety Crime Prevention 0 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/66402/0_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/66402-James-Randi-Headon-and-Homeopathy 330 66442 Stopping Identity Theft YoutubeGuide 61 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:47:51 -0700 2 moneytalks ]]> 97 credit, debt, finance, ID, identity, money, news, personal, save, stolen, talks, theft, victim H35DASgwPZc First Aid & Safety Crime Prevention 0 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/66442/0_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/66442-Stopping-Identity-Theft 330 95518 How To Stop Genocide 135 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:39:18 -0800 4 GenocideInterventionNetwork ]]> 171 http://media.howcast.com/system/videos/3/18/55/09/95518.flv Genocide, activism, youth movements, Darfur, Burma, Congo, Sudan, end genocide First Aid & Safety Crime Prevention 2 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/95518/5_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/95518-How-To-Stop-Genocide 330 206641 How To See If You Live Near a Sex Offender YoutubeGuide 5 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:03:15 -0700 0 dorkfaceisme55 ]]> 57 to, see, if, you, live, near, sex, offender, easy, website, children, family, watch, dog, how 3u6dquWRSPI First Aid & Safety Crime Prevention 0 http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/206641/0_xxlarge_maintained_aspect.jpg http://www.howcast.com/videos/206641-How-To-See-If-You-Live-Near-a-Sex-Offender