Beware of Ramp and Dump Scams

 

Beware of Ramp and Dump Scams

Dear Client, We are writing to you to let you know that global regulators and law enforcement agencies, including FINRA and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”), have noted an increasing trend where investors are being targeted by scammers trying to manipulate unwary investors into purchasing stock in certain companies which ultimately result in profits for the scammer and large losses for the investor. These scams are often perpetrated via social media. The scammers work to establish a relationship of trust (sometimes under the pretext of friendship or romance, or a claim that they are a famous investment advisor) and may encourage the investor to join an investment group on a social media platform or chat app, where investment advice is disseminated. The scammers then tell the investor to purchase shares in specific companies at inflated prices based on some non-public information or connection that the scammer claims to have with the company or its management. Typically, the scammers encourage investors to purchase thinly traded stocks with low market capitalization (including “penny” stocks), which are easier for the scammers to manipulate and profit at the expense of the investor. Once the investors follow the scammer’s instructions and inadvertently push up the price of the stock by buying shares, the scammer can then sell their own large holdings which can then dramatically reduce the price of the company’s shares. This type of scam is known as a pump-and-dump or ramp-and-dump scam. This can result in large losses for the investors. FINRA recently explained this trend in an Investor Alert titled, "Social Media ‘Investment Group’ Imposter Scams on the Rise," available here. The SFC has also published guidance regarding these scams at this link. For further examples from IFEC, please click here. We encourage you to please take the time to read and understand the following key points: Be skeptical In the virtual world, fraudsters can easily disguise themselves. Be skeptical of the identities of anyone you meet online, particularly if they claim to be an investment advisor or celebrity. Be especially vigilant when offered unsolicited investment advice by online “friends.” Pay attention to warning signs Below are some red flags that may be signs of a scam, including ramp-and-dump scams: Unsolicited investment advice. Substantial share price increase without positive news about the company. Suggestions to purchase small cap stock with low liquidity, especially if many of the shares are held by a small group. Your online “friend” asks you to send a screenshot of your trading record. Do your homework Many of the stocks recommended by the operators of these scams were overvalued and there was no obvious justification for their prices to surge. Investors are strongly advised to do their own homework on a company before investing in it, or seek independent advice from licensed investment advisors. Be wary of investments that sound too good to be true If an investment sounds too good to be true, it often is. Remember that there is no such thing as a low-risk investment with high guaranteed returns—a claim frequently used by fraudsters to entice unwary investors by manipulating their fear of missing an opportunity. Please also remember that Interactive Brokers does not provide investment advice. Be wary of anyone stating otherwise.

Interactive Brokers

¿Puedes confiar en un plano hacia la riqueza?

Larissa Bungo 

Abogada senior19 de Dic de 2023

¿Un plano hacia la riqueza? No tan rápido. La FTC dice que un esquema de oportunidad de negocio conocido como "Blueprint to Wealth" ha estado apuntando a personas que quieren ganar dinero trabajando desde la casa y utilizando falsas promesas de un sistema probado que genera miles de dólares al mes en "ingresos pasivos" producidos por los miembros recien reclutados. A continuación, te ofrecemos un plano para evitar los esquemas de oportunidades de negocio.

Según la FTC, los operadores de Blueprint to Wealth les prometieron a los miembros nuevos que ganaría grandes sumas de dinero, más de $20,000 por mes, con una oportunidad de negocio de tipo “lo hacemos todo por usted” y con el apoyo de “instructores exitosos”. Según lo presentaban, todo parecía fácil y sin riesgos: pagar hasta $21,000 por una membresía más gastos de publicidad, luego sentarse, dejar que los instructores se ocuparan de todo lo demás y ver cómo entraba el dinero por las comisiones generadas por las ventas de nuevas membresías. Pero la FTC dice que el esquema sólo generaba millones para los demandados. Las personas que compraron membresías generalmente no obtuvieron nada. Cuando la gente se quejaba, Blueprint to Wealth las culpaba de no hacer lo suficiente, y luego intentaba convencerlas de que pagaran aún más dinero para generar ingresos.

Para evitar una estafa de asesoramiento para negocios o de oportunidades de negocio basadas en el reclutamiento, sigue estos pasos antes de pagar:

Tómate tu tiempo y habla con alguien de tu confianza. Los estafadores tratarán de presionarte para que te comprometas de inmediato. Habla con alguien de tu confianza, un amigo, un familiar o un vecino, antes de inscribirte. Hablar sobre el tema te podría ayudar a darte cuenta de que es una estafa.

Investiga en internet la compañía y el ofrecimiento. Antes de pagar, haz una búsqueda en línea ingresando palabras como “complaint”, “review” o “scam” para ver la opinión de otras personas; si haces la búsqueda en español, reemplaza esas palabras con “queja”, “comentario” o “estafa”.

Duda de las promesas de grandes sumas de dinero o grandes beneficios. Todas las inversiones tienen riesgos. Únicamente los estafadores garantizan el éxito o un rendimiento sobre una inversión.

Lee con escepticismo las historias exitosas y los comentarios. Podrían ser falsas o engañosas. Para consultar opiniones de expertos confiables e imparciales, fíjate en distintas fuentes y sitios web reconocidos.

Aprende más sobre cómo evitar una estada de asesoría de negocio. Si piensas que has detectado una de estas estafas, cuéntaselo a la FTC en ReporteFraude.ftc.gov.

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THE DIGITAL FACE STEALERS/ LOS LADRONES DE CARAS DIGITALES

 

Vivimos en una era extraña. Durante la mayor parte de la historia, la gente ha tenido un sentido de lógica ante el mundo; una lógica algo que podría servir para diferenciar lo absurdo de lo realista. En la modernidad, especialmente en estos últimos años, hemos sentido que esta lógica nos ha abandonado hasta el punto de que las cosas de las que antes nos habríamos reído, ahora son urgentemente reales. Cambios y amenazas que se limitarían a cuentos fantásticos o novelas que se hacen realidad de maneras disruptivas y, a veces, activamente maliciosas. Entonces, hablemos de "deepfakes".

AI, eso es algo de lo que no parece poder evitar hablar al respecto estos días. La IA reemplazará a los artistas, la IA reemplazará a los autores, esos son algunos de los temas de conversación comunes. ¿Pero la IA reemplazará a "usted"? La tecnología deepfake es un término colectivo utilizado para describir el software que es capaz de replicar la imagen e incluso la voz de una persona hasta tal punto que la gente puede confundirlo con la realidad. Personas como Tom Hanks, actor protagonista de películas como Forest Gump o Salvar al soldado Ryan, ha tenido que lidiar con imitadores digitales. Se había utilizado un clon de IA en anuncios de Instagram contra el consentimiento de Hanks, lo que llevó al actor a emitir un comunicado aclarando lo que estaba sucediendo. Como nota preocupante, muchas empresas de tecnología han presentado los conceptos de clones de IA como una solución al problema de tener que tratar a los seres humanos como personas. Naturalmente, este ha sido un punto de discordia en la huelga SAG-AFTRA, entre actores, escritores y productores.

Entonces vivimos en una película de ciencia ficción, ¿y ahora qué? Una de las cosas a tener en cuenta es que la IA, por su naturaleza de código, solo puede crear cosas a través de una serie de valores promedio derivados de expresiones de cálculo. Como tal, la IA nunca puede "comprender" la tarea que se le ha asignado. Una vez que tiene que salirse de la caja para la que fue diseñada, si es que puede hacerlo, la IA no tiene capacidad para adaptarse o innovar, solo copiar aquello en lo que fue entrenada. No es un sistema dinámico que pueda crear sus propias ideas, sino que es mejor pensar en él como parte de la misma familia de programas como el autocompletado o los filtros de Instagram. A medida que la novedad de la tecnología se desvanezca, la gente se dará cuenta urgentemente de sus límites. Una de las cosas que la IA probablemente reemplazará son los empleos cuyo valor los empleadores no vieron en primer lugar. Lo más probable es que lo utilicen personas que quieran gastar la menor cantidad de dinero en la actividad particular para la que emplean la IA. Lo que esto significa es que si la IA reemplazará a la humanidad en el lugar de trabajo no es una cuestión de competencia o eficiencia, sino de si las fuerzas que deben valorar a la humanidad en primer lugar.

¿Entonces, qué piensas? Nos gustaría escuchar sus opiniones sobre la IA y su lugar en el futuro, tanto en las artes como en los negocios. ¿Crees que la IA llegará para quedarse o es sólo una tendencia pasajera? ¿Cómo has interactuado con la IA? ¿Le preocupa que se utilice para dañar a las personas o está entusiasmado con las posibilidades que se pueden abrir?

FinCEN Hosts Public-Private Dialogue on Countering the DPRK's Illicit Cyber Activities

 

READOUT: FinCEN Hosts Public-Private Dialogue on Countering the DPRK's Illicit Cyber Activities

Immediate Release

August 31, 2023

WASHINGTON—The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) hosted a FinCEN Exchange last week focused on countering the abuse of the digital ecosystem by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).  The DPRK continues to use, steal, and launder virtual assets in order to fund its illicit weapons programs.  The proliferation of cyber events and cyber-enabled crime instigated by the DPRK represents a significant threat to the U.S. financial system.

The FinCEN Exchange session emphasized the threat posed by the DPRK’s abuse of the digital ecosystem and facilitated coordination where appropriate to counter DPRK-related illicit finance.  It included presentations by FinCEN and Federal law enforcement agencies, followed by discussions on information sharing mechanisms, and observations from financial institutions and representatives from the virtual currency industry on ways to effectively combat DPRK’s cyber-enabled illicit finance.  FinCEN and the U.S. Department of the Treasury will continue to use all available tools to combat the DPRK’s cyber-enabled illicit finance threats. 

The FinCEN Exchange program demonstrates the importance of communication among FinCEN, law enforcement agencies, and financial institutions to effectively identify and investigate criminal actors and money laundering activities.  FinCEN appreciates the critical support that financial institutions provide to law enforcement and national security agencies in fighting illicit activities through suspicious activity reporting and the importance of allocating their resources to national security priorities.  FinCEN Exchanges provide an important mechanism to enhance law enforcement feedback and to help financial institutions more effectively implement their anti-money laundering programs. 

FinCEN strongly encourages all financial institutions, and particularly FinTechs and digital assets industry participants, to register under USA PATRIOT Act Section 314(b) and to form associations to engage in voluntary information sharing.  Section 314(b) information sharing can reveal networks of illicit activity that no single financial institution can detect alone, compounding the benefits for both the financial institution and law enforcement.  In fiscal year 2022, there were more than 7,600 314(b) registered financial institutions, making extensive network analysis possible. 

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FinCEN Exchange is a voluntary public-private partnership that convenes relevant stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies and financial institutions. FinCEN Exchange aims to protect our national security and our citizens from harm by combatting money laundering and its related crimes, including terrorism, through public-private dialogue that encourages, enables, and acknowledges industry focus on high-value and high-impact activities.

PREPPING FOR IDALIA

 

 

    Hurricane Idalia has forced many to evacuate the Gulf Coast. This is a category 3 hurricane, with winds of around 80mph. The storm has the potential of destroying property, injuring people, and drowning documentation. We at 200 GFS. advise our clients and readers to protect their important documents from the following weather to avoid legal or financial trouble. 

    

    Some ways to protect your files is physically. Get lockable plastic bags large enough to put your papers in, and then seal them. Additionally, you can invest in either a waterproof safe or rent a safe deposit box. Uploading your files into cloud storage will serve to replace the files that were destroyed by the actual clouds. And finally, you can always send your files to someone you trust that lives outside of the threatened area. All of this advise serve to protect your documentation from permanent destruction by the elements. 

    However, protecting yourself from destruction is even more important. Make sure you keep up to date on the weather for updates regarding the hurricane. Know where your nearest storm shelter is. Make sure you are ready to evacuate and make sure to evacuate before the storm reaches your area. You may need at least 1 gallon of water and non-perishable food for at least 3 days. Electricity will likely be disconnected so have a battery powered or hand-crank radio so you do not become isolated from the world. This will also mean you might need flashlights and other light sources. No electricity means no heating so have blankets and sleeping bags for the whole family. This also applies if you are dislocated from your home and have no bed available. 

 

    Medicine and a first-aid kit are self-explanatory, having basic first-aid training might be the difference between life and death. Cleaning supplies such as soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, really anything and everything you might need to keep yourself and your stuff clean. This also includes items such as contact lens solution, tampons or pads, and a myriad of other things. Be sure you have what you specifically need to keep yourself and your loved ones sanitary. Utensils are a less obvious category, but still needed. You may clean utensils with a solution of 9 parts chlorine bleach and 1 parts water.

    Recreation may seem like luxuries in an emergency situation; however if there is anything worse than been stuck inside a shelter with dozens of strangers with no way of knowing when you will be able to leave and what may even be left for you to return to, it is being stuck in a shelter and being bored. And finally, we suggest to keep physical cash. Fiscal institutions or electronic payment devices may not be operational during or after the storm, so having cash around will let you buy necessities you might not be able to get otherwise

    

    We at 200 GFS are dedicated to the well-being of our clients in their lives. During these times we understand that most people will be facing uncertainty and may feel like they cannot control their own lives. Through this we aim to empower you to, perhaps not avoid any harm, but be able to avoid that which can be avoided and feel like you will be okay after all is said and done. It is our sincere hope that you will be able to come through this in full health and spirits. We wish you all luck and hope for the best.

This article is informed by John Perritano's article 10 Must-haves in a Storm Survival Kit.

 

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