Swiss America Research Department
2.23.12
Investors face an extremely dangerous economic environment in 2012 - ranging from the growing risk of identity theft to a wide range of investment scams - all propelled by mobile and internet technologies. Is greed now greater than fear?
Although the U.S. stock market has been on an uptrend in 2012, many investors are still trying to make up for a dismal, no growth decade and seek a fast track to rebuild their portfolios. The problem is that many high-return investment opportunities also attract more scams, frauds and hucksters. For example:
* "Identity Fraud up 13% in 2011," reports Reuters. "Nearly 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011, an increase of 13 percent over 2010, according to a report released by the research firm Javelin Strategy & Research. Social behaviors put consumers at risk...LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and Facebook users had the highest incidence of fraud...Smartphone owners experience greater incidence of fraud... Data Breaches increasing and more damaging."
* "Mortgage fraud up 31% in 2011," reports Realestate.aol.com. "Years have passed since the housing crisis first brought the U.S. economy to the brink, but reports of mortgage fraud are only increasing -- up 31 percent in the first quarter of 2011, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a Treasury bureau that tracks illegal financial activity."
* "MF Global's $1.6 billion missing customer funds probed," reports Wall St. Journal. "Investigators probing the collapse of MF Global Holdings Ltd. are scrutinizing two money transfers made during the securities firm's final days in an effort to uncover what happened to $1.6 billion in missing customer funds. Federal regulators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the US bankruptcy trustee for MF Global's brokerage unit are are poring over emails and records related to these and other money transfers."
* "The Top 10 investing scams," according to Bankrate.com ... "Ponzi scammers top the list of scam artists taking return-hungry investors to the cleaners, according to the latest look at the investment industry by the North American Securities Administrators Association. A close second -- investment fraudsters targeting seniors."
For Six Vital Steps To Avoid Gold Coin Fraud, Scams and Hustlers When Buying or Selling CLICK HERE
Gold offers "Investment Theft Protection". That's why Swiss America urges Americans to VOTE GOLD in 2012!
Call Swiss America now at 800-289-2646 for a FREE "VOTEGOLD2012.COM" kit.
Convert paper dollars into Gold for protection from government theft via inflation and dollar devaluation. You can VOTE GOLD in your retirement accounts too!
