High-Yield Investment Program Scam are one of the fraudulent investment schemes used by the fraudsters, where they promise high returns with little to no risk. It works like a ponzi scheme where the fraudster promises huge returns, and to win trust in the initial phase, they do provide returns, but this doesn’t last for a longer period. Let’s understand it in depth.
Scams in the investment industry are increasing at a rapid pace. As con artists use numerous tactics to dupe people, they try to make people fall for the scams by offering them lucrative offers and freebies.
Moreover, people are concerned about how to double their funds other than protecting their funds, and scammers are eagerly waiting for such people who are more interested in investments as they are easy to fool.
What is a high-yield investment program?
A high-yield investment scheme or program is nothing but luring people into investment programs where they can earn double their investment over a longer period of time. They even advertise their investment program, claiming 100% yields per year.
Many people are lured into the scam because of such lucrative offers. When someone invests, the money coming from the new investor is paid to old investors or long standing investors. As mentioned above, it works like a ponzi scheme as they pay interest to old investors from the funds received from new investors.
People may confuse it with high-yield bond investing. High-yield bond investments are legit, and they do offer higher bond interest rates than investment bonds. As the names are quite similar, people tend to consider both investments to be the same.
How do scammers target people?
The scammers target people with various mediums; previously, they used to target people through phone calls; later, they added text messages; and now, along with both, they have the internet on board. With all its sources, the internet is a giant in front of all, as it is nothing less than a digital world.
People are highly active on social media, where they share about their lives and make new friends, and some make their living on the internet. And the fraudster exploits this condition and targets people on social media, making them fall for their scam.
The con artists advertise their scheme on social media and in the market by claiming that people can earn high returns with little to no risk in this high-return investment plan, and most of the details about the scheme are vague. Looking at the returns people can earn, more people tend to fall for the scam and apply for the investment options. These options are accessed through social media platforms or phony websites.
How do I know if an investment site is legit?
If you opt for some investment options and you believe the investment option is not legit, you can look out for red flags. The HYIP investments are fraudulent, but most of the fraud investment programs share the same tactics to dupe people. Below is a list of red flags you should look out for.
Returns
Most fraudulent investment programs, including the HYIP program, claim to offer higher returns. They will claim little to zero risk in the investment program. In the digitized world, high-yield investment program crypto scams are more frequent as there are no restrictions in the crypto world.
No details about the investment plan
If the investment program is fraudulent, then there are high chances that people will have very few details about the investment plan. They use terms like arbitrage or trading, but the user will get zero details about them. Generally, the con artist never discloses any details and says that this is confidential information to share, which is why they cannot share anything more about the plan.
Consistently good returns
This may be the biggest red flag, yet people ignore it the most. As promised, people usually receive returns from the scheme, but there are times when the market is crashing yet you will get a good return. In a genuine investment plan, your returns will be totally based on market behavior and how well your invested money performs.
How do I spot a HYIP?
Scammers use multiple tricks to dupe people, but most of them serve the same purpose. In some cases, they try to manipulate the victim into falling for the scam. The Securities and Exchange Commission has highlighted the issue and listed many methods used by the fraudsters. The methods used by the fraudster are as follows:
- Offering excessive returns
- once-in-a lifetime opportunity.
- False financial instrument.
- Keeping the details more secret.
The con artist tries to make the investment plan more secret, and the lack of transaction transparency makes the investment non-legitimate. The best thing you can do to avoid a scam is ask as many questions as possible to the fraudster and make them answer all of them. They will get more frustrated in the end.
Conclusion
Concluding this article, I hope you find it informative and that it somehow helps you. Being aware of scams can help you be alert on social media and avoid such scams in the future. You can even help your friends or family members if they encounter such scams. If you fall victim to such scams, you can contact a law enforcement firm or private firms like Zecoup to get your funds back.
FAQ
How does HYIP make money?
In the HYIP scheme, they don't really make money; the scheme is similar to a ponzi scheme, where the funds from the new investors are provided as interest to the old investors.
