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You may be contacted by phone, email or post with an offer to invest in shares, property or rare goods that could give you a high return. But generally speaking, the bigger the proposed return, the greater the risk.

REMEMBER: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!

Investment scams can look and sound believable, with slick websites or sophisticated brochures and prospectuses. This can make it hard to tell them apart from genuine investment opportunities.

The scammers can also be skilled at convincing you that the investment is real, the returns will be high and the risks to your money are low or non-existent.

Latest on investment scams

Share scams: more than £200m lost each year

Share scams are often run from ‘boiler rooms’, where fraudsters cold-call people offering shares or other investments. We estimate it has cost investors £200m

Find out more about how share scams work

See how to protect yourself from boiler room fraud

Ongoing concern over sale of carbon credits

We continue to receive many reports from people who have been approached by firms promoting carbon credits in the UK. We are now concerned about the way they are being sold.

• See why we are concerned about carbon credits
• Carbon credits: what to consider before investing

Land banking: number of rip-off schemes soars

Land divided into smaller plots is being sold with the promise of huge returns once the land is available for development. Yet many investors end up losing the lot.

• Find out more about land banking schemes
• Watch our tips for spotting these schemes

Stay safe from investment scams

There are warning signs to help you identify investment scams – and we have ten tips for spotting financial fraud.

• See how to protect your savings

Beware get-rich-quick schemes

Ponzi and pyramid schemes promise high returns not usually available through traditional investments.

• Find out how to spot these scams

Scam victims targeted twice

Fraudsters hope that if you already lost money to a scam, that you are more likely to take another risk.

• Learn about ‘recovery room’ fraud
  

Fraudsters turn focus on groups

Affinity fraud occurs where criminals target members of a group to invest in a scheme, before ripping them off.

• Find out how affinity fraud works