You can lower the chance of paying a scammer by slowing down, checking the people and company behind an offer, and verifying its claims through independent, official sources. Guaranteed returns, little or no risk, vague explanations, and pressure to act quickly are warning signs—not proof by themselves, but good reasons to stop. In an interview with Dataconomy, Dr. Anton Korshunov also suggests looking closely at a group’s history and interaction patterns. Those social clues are prompts for scrutiny, not a validated test that can determine whether an investment is genuine.
What should you check before sending money?
Start with the investment itself, not the group’s popularity or the apparent success of its members. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that all investments carry the risk of losing money. It identifies promises of unusually large or guaranteed returns, claims of little risk, scant details, a supposedly secret or proven method, and pressure to act fast as warning signs. The FTC’s guidance says, “Only scammers make these types of claims” about over-the-top profits, income sufficient to quit a job, or beating the stock market. Read the FTC’s investment-scam guidance.
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- Pause. A countdown, limited-time offer, or group pressure should not set your decision deadline. Take time to check the offer independently.
- Identify who is behind it. Find the firm’s official name and contact details independently. Search the firm, promoters, and program name alongside terms such as “review,” “scam,” “fraud,” or “complaint.” Read multiple results rather than relying on the offer’s own site or materials.
- Check registration where applicable. Look up the person or firm in the relevant official database for the investment activity. The FTC recommends using Investor.gov to check people who recommend or sell investments. The right regulator or database depends on the product and jurisdiction. Registration is not a guarantee that an investment is safe; if required registration is absent, stop and verify before proceeding. The FTC’s guidance on avoiding investment scams has additional steps.
- Ask how it works. Get clear answers about what the investment is, where your money will go, what risks apply, and how withdrawals work. Vague or evasive replies, guaranteed gains, or demands for additional payments warrant more scrutiny.
- Verify claims outside the promoter’s channels. A group’s testimonials, screenshots, membership count, or polished dashboard do not establish that an investment exists or that its displayed returns are real.
How can you assess an online investment group?
Korshunov’s interview focuses on how a social group behaves, not just what it says. He recommends checking how long the group or profile has existed, whether activity has been continuous or appeared in a sudden burst, and whether members have a history of interacting with one another that predates your arrival. He also flags unusually fast, polished answers about withdrawals and patterns such as different members using nearly identical phrasing or responding at nearly the same times. These are Korshunov’s observations in the Dataconomy interview; the interview does not establish that any one pattern proves fraud.
Social proof can be manufactured or borrowed. The FTC warns that scammers may use a friend’s compromised social-media account to recruit followers, and that they may show fake investment growth. A familiar name, an apparently established community, and persuasive performance screenshots therefore do not replace independent checks. See the FTC’s May 2025 guidance on spotting investment scams on social media.
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What if you have already been approached or paid?
If you have only been approached, do not send money while you verify the offer. If you have paid or shared financial information, keep messages and transaction details, contact your financial institution promptly to ask what steps may be available, and report the incident through official channels. The FTC directs consumers to ReportFraud.ftc.gov; its May 2025 social-media alert also identifies the SEC’s sec.gov/tcr for reporting investment scams. Reporting can help authorities identify patterns, but it does not guarantee that funds will be recovered.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What reported losses can—and cannot—tell you
Loss statistics show the scale of reported harm, not the odds that a particular offer is fraudulent or a complete count of all fraud. The FTC reported more than $7.9 billion in investment-scam losses and a median individual loss above $10,000 in its 2025 consumer data, discussed in an April 2026 alert. These are FTC-reported figures, not a complete estimate of investment fraud. See the FTC’s April 2026 alert.
A separate measure comes from the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Its 2025 IC3 Annual Report says Operation Level Up, launched in January 2024, had notified more than 8,000 cryptocurrency investment-fraud victims and reported $500 million in savings to notified victims since the operation began. The report’s 2025 success-story table lists 3,780 victims notified, 78% of those victims unaware they were being scammed, and estimated savings of $225,871,319. These figures describe the FBI program and its notified victims; they are not interchangeable with the FTC’s reported-loss data or a total for all fraud. Read the FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report.
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