To get you to invest in an investment, promoters will frequently use these lines:

• Guarantee Of Profits and High Returns. Promotions rely heavily on the greed of individuals by promising high returns with no risk.

• Claims of Quick Profits. "Double or Triple Your Investment in 3 weeks" is a headline that can be seen at times in emails and in promotional material. The notion of a quick profit is a common technique.

• Pressure to Buy. Many promotions attempt to pressure an individual to invest quickly on the fear that the opportunity will not last very long. Good investments don't disappear overnight.

• Insider Information. The promoter suggests that the information which he is divulging is only known to a few people and should not be spread. Such information was apparently told in confidence. Such information is usually false and only aimed at fooling the unsuspecting investor.

• Ground Floor Opportunity. The promoter suggests that this company is the next big company that you will make millions from by getting in early before it takes off. Usually such companies stay on the ground floor or go to the basement.

• Guaranteed to Match your Investments. Here the email you receive or website that you come across will guarantee to or exceed your current investments. It is impossible for anyone to promise to guarantee or match your investments. The senders of these emails or operators of these sites will sometimes try to get you to send upfront cash before they will send you their list of great investments. Don't send any cash or be fooled by their promises.

• Hot Tips and Rumors. There is not such thing as a legitimate hot tip. Rumors and secondhand information are used for only one purpose: To fool the innocent investor in buying worthless stock from promoters, insiders or large shareholders.

• Tax-free Offshore Investments. When you invest in a foreign country, your ability to recover money is almost impossible. If you have any questions about these investments, contact your accountant or tax lawyer who has the expertise to analyze the tax implications of these investments.