Investor Education for Seniors

You can avoid becoming a victim by following 10 self-defense tips developed for seniors by North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA)

1. Don’t be a courtesy victim. Con artists will not hesitate to exploit your good manners. Save your good manners for friends and family members, not strangers looking for a quick buck!
   
   
2. Check out strangers touting strange deals. Trusting strangers is a mistake anyone can make when it comes to their personal finances. Say “no” to any investment professional who presses you to make an immediate decision, giving you no opportunity to check out the salesperson, firm and the investment opportunity itself. Extensive background information on investment salespeople and firms is available from the Central Registration Depository (CRD) files available from our office, call us at 701.328.2910.
   
   
3. Always stay in charge of your money. Beware of anyone who suggests investing your money into something you don’t understand or who urges that you leave everything in his or her hands.
   
   
4. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Successful con artists sound and look extremely professional and have the ability to make even the flimsiest investment deal sound as safe and sound as putting money in the bank. The sound of a voice, particularly on the phone, has no bearing on the soundness of an investment opportunity.
   
   
5. Watch out for salespeople who prey on your fears. Con artists know that you worry about either outliving your savings or seeing all of your financial resources vanish overnight as the result of a catastrophic event, such as a costly hospitalization. Fear can cloud your good judgment. An investment that is right for you will make sense because you understand it and feel comfortable with the risk involved.
   
   
6. Don’t make a tragedy worse with rash financial decisions. The death or hospitalization of a spouse has many sad consequences – financial fraud shouldn’t be one of them. Ask a con artist to describe his ideal victim and you are likely to hear the following two words: “elderly widow.” If you find yourself suddenly in charge of your own finances, get the facts before you make any decisions. Talk to friends, family, trade organizations, and state or provincial securities regulators for advice on locating a financial professional and checking their background. An insurance settlement may help with expenses but it also makes you an ideal target for fraud. Arm yourself with information and your confidence will send con men running.
   
   
7. Monitor your investments and ask tough questions. Don’t compound the mistake of trusting an unscrupulous investment professional or outright con artist by failing to keep an eye on the progress of your investment. Insist on regular written reports. Look for signs of excessive or unauthorized trading of your funds. Don’t let a false sense of friendship or trust keep you from demanding a routine statement of your accounts.
   
   
8. Look for trouble retrieving your principal or cashing out profits. If a stockbroker, financial planner or other individual with whom you have invested stalls you when you want to pull out your principal or profits, you have uncovered someone who wants to cheat you. Some kinds of investments have certain periods when you cannot withdraw your funds, but you must be made aware of these kinds of restrictions before you invest.
   
   
9. Don’t let embarrassment or fear keep you from reporting investment fraud or abuse. Con artists know that you might hesitate to report that you have been victimized in financial schemes out of embarrassment or fear. Con artists prey on your sensitivities and, in fact, count on these fears preventing or delaying the point at which authorities are notified of a scam. Every day that you delay reporting fraud or abuse is one more day that the con artist is spending your money and finding new victims.
   
   
10. Beware of “reload” scams. If you are already the victim of an investment scam, don’t compound the damage by letting con artists “reload” and take a “second bite” of your assets. Con artists know you have a finite amount of money. Faced with a loss of funds, some seniors who have been victimized once will go along with another scheme in which the con artists promise to make good on the original funds lost … and possibly even generate new returns beyond those originally promised. Though the desire to make up lost financial ground is understandable, all too often the result is that you lose whatever savings you had left in the wake of the initial scam.

These tips were developed by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), which is the national voice of the state securities agencies responsible for investor protection at the grassroots level in the United States.

1. It is hard to tell if a caller is legitimate. The sound of the voice on the other end of the phone may sound like a nice person; however, remember that the sound of a voice has no bearing on the soundness of an investment opportunity. Successful con artists sound extremely professional and have the ability to make even the flimsiest investment deal seem as safe as putting money in the bank. Some swindlers combine professional-sounding sales pitches with extremely polite manners, knowing that many people are likely to equate good manners with personal integrity.
2. You can hang up. Senior citizens are of the generation that was taught to be courteous at all times to phone callers, as well as to people who visit them at home. Swindlers know how to take control of the conversation, either by pretending to be very friendly or by using bullying tactics. Remember that a stranger who calls and asks for your money is to be regarded with the utmost caution. You are under absolutely no obligation to stay on the telephone with a stranger who wants your money. In these circumstances, it is not impolite to explain that you are not interested and hang up the phone. Save your good manners for friends and family members, not swindlers!
3. Check out strangers touting deals. Trusting strangers is a mistake that all too many senior citizens make when it comes to their personal finances. Before buying anything, tell the caller that you want to check it out first, and ask them for a number to call back. If the caller refuses to give the number or insists on an immediate decision, it’s a “red flag of fraud.”
4. Always stay in charge of your money. A stockbroker, financial planner or telemarketing con artist who wants your money will be more than happy to assure you that he or she can handle everything, thereby relieving you of the need to watch over and protect your nest egg. Constant vigilance is a necessary part of being an investor. If you understand little about the world of investments, take the time to educate yourself. Also, involve a family member or a trusted professional with a good reputation in your own community before trusting a stranger who wants you to turn over your money and then sit back and wait for results. Beware of any financial professional who suggests putting your money into something you don’t understand or who urges that you leave everything in his or her hands.
5. Monitor your investments and ask tough questions. It is important to keep an eye on the progress of the investment. Insist on regular written and oral reports. Look for signs of excessive or unauthorized trading of your funds. Do not be swayed by assurances that such practices are routine or in your best interest. Do not permit a false sense of friendship or trust to keep you from demanding a routine statement of your investments. When you suspect that something is amiss and get unsatisfactory explanations, call the Securities Division of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office at (803) 734-9916 and make a complaint.
6. Watch for salespeople who prey on your fears. Con artists know that many senior citizens worry they will either outlive their savings or see all of their financial resources vanish overnight as the result of a catastrophic event, such as a costly hospitalization. As a result, it is common for swindlers to pitch the schemes as a way for senior citizens to build up their life savings to the point where such fears are no longer necessary. Remember that fear and greed can cloud your good judgment and leave you in a much worse financial posture. An investment that is right for you will make sense because you understand it and feel comfortable with the degree of risk involved.
7. Having trouble retrieving your principal or cashing out profits? If a stockbroker, financial planner or other individual with whom you may have invested stalls you when you want to pull out your principal or profits, you may have uncovered someone who wants to cheat you. Unscrupulous investment promoters pocket the funds of their victims and go to great lengths to explain why an investor’s savings are not readily accessible. Many times, they will pressure the investor to “roll over” non-existent “profits” into new and even more alluring investments, thus further delaying the point at which the fraud will be uncovered. If you are not investing in a vehicle with a fixed term, such as a bond, you should be able to receive your funds or profits within a reasonably brief amount of time.
8. Beware of “reload” scams. Most senior citizens are dealing with a finite amount of money that is unlikely to be replenished in the event of fraud and abuse. When such a loss occurs, the result is a panic that is well known to con artists, who have developed “reloading” schemes to take a “second bite” out of senior citizens. In these schemes, seniors who already have been victimized once are solicited by con-artists who promise to make good on the original funds that were lost, and possibly even generate new returns beyond those originally promised. Though the desire to make up lost financial ground is understandable, all too often the result is that unwary senior citizens lose whatever savings they have left in the wake of the initial scam and possibly more in the second scam. Remember the saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”