Investor Newsletter
January 25, 2023
Investor Education
National Consumer Protection Week
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) National Consumer Protection Week will take place from March 5 to March 11, 2023, with the goal of helping people understand their consumer rights and avoid frauds and scams. The initiative will include a variety of free events which will be announced on the FTC website. In the meantime, the FTC encourages the investing public to subscribe to its consumer alerts.
Money Smart Week
Money Smart Week, which will be held virtually from April 15-21, 2023, is a national public education program coordinated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The program strives to empower the public with the knowledge and skills they need to make better-informed personal financial decisions.
Investor Protection
Investor Alert: Identity Theft, Data Breaches and Your Investment Accounts
Identity theft and data breaches can compromise investors' personal financial information. The SEC's recent Investor Alert provides the public with important steps to take regarding affected investment accounts.
Information courtesy of the SEC
Informed Investor Advisory: Unsolicited Text Messages
Con artists are using “wrong number” or “robo-texting” scams to try to initiate contact and establish rapport with unsuspecting victims. NASAA's recent Informed Investor Advisory explains how messaging scams work, what red flags to watch out for and ways to protect yourself.
Information courtesy of NASAA
Consumer Alert: Worried about crypto exchange losses? Don’t pay money for “help” recovering money
Some scammers offer so-called recovery services to people who have lost money to cryptocurrency fraud, claiming that they recover the lost funds. Spoiler alert: they can't. In its recent Consumer Alert, the FTC advises the investing public on how to spot, avoid and report recovery scams.
Information courtesy of the FTC
Recent Enforcement Actions
Complaints
- GMG Brokers LTD, Marco Saviozzi, and Jason Terence Lyons
- Ocean Solutions LLC, James William Ronan, and John Martin Schmidt III
- Pernix Capital, LLC
- StoneX Markets LLC
Decisions
- Empire Energy Group LLC. and Mark Stephen Fairchild
- Gain Capital Group LLC and Alexander Robert Bobinski Jr.
- Stage 5 Trading Corp. and Anthony Giacomin
- StoneX Markets LLC