Web Wealth: Avoiding investment scams

The bad economy and the Madoff scandal awoke many investors who now say they were duped by gurus with promises that were - now that you mention it - too good to be true. How to proceed?

SEC. The Securities and Exchange Commission is responsible for enforcing federal securities laws and provides a Web page to help you file a complaint or direct a tip on a suspected fraud. Another thing you can do is forward examples of those pernicious and all-too-frequent spam e-mails allegedly from a foreign official looking to unload millions of dollars into your bank account - as long as you kindly supply your account number and other personal information.

FBI. The Federal Bureau of Investigation lists, on this page, some of the most common frauds and how to watch out for them. Telemarketing fraud, ID theft, and Ponzi and pyramid schemes are among the items described.

LTGTBT. Run by a federal law enforcement and industry task force, the "Looks Too Good To Be True" site goes into considerable detail. The section on financial fraud covers such things as charity frauds and some curious scams, such as "romance schemes" that include supposed mail-order-bride services where victims send money to a supposed foreign sweetheart who never shows up for the nuptials. Click on "consumer alert" for word on the latest frauds, such as the hit-man e-mail.

A related site is the Internet Crime Complaint Center:

To do. "Most investors who have been defrauded do not know what happened to their investments until it is too late," warns Boston lawyer Harry Miller. Of course Miller is offering his professional services. Short of that, his Web site provides some helpful advice and fraud warning signs that might include excessive, unauthorized trading by your broker. Click down the left rail of the page for discussions on "21st Century investment fraud," and related subjects.

Contact staff writer Reid Kanaley at 215-854-5114 or rkanaley@phillynews.com.