Are You a Victim of Investment Fraud? How to Get Your Money Back
NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Investing is hard enough without walking into a bear trap set by an unscrupulous fraudster. Crooks create false account statements, make wild performance claims and operate elaborate Ponzi schemes in order to get money out of your pocket and into theirs. If you're the victim of such a crime, what are your chances of getting your money back?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued an investor bulletin explaining the ways in which conned consumers can attempt to recover assets lost to criminal investment scams. The good news: there are a number of ways to recover your money. The bad news: you are likely to recover only a portion of your loss – and be prepared for a lengthy process.
"Not all harmed investors will be able to recover money, and many of those who recover money receive less, often substantially less, than their losses from the securities fraud," the SEC says. "In addition, even when harmed investors are able to recover money, the process for distributing the money to harmed investors may take a long time."
If an SEC investigation into securities fraud is successful, enforcement action is initiated through the court system or by an agency administrative proceeding. In addition to attempting to reclaim the proceeds from the fraud on behalf of victims, often penalties and interest are charged; the court or the SEC will determine the distribution of these assets. In other cases, a receivership is formed to recover and manage the proceeds of criminal collections. In fiscal year 2013, the SEC collected more than $1.6 billion in fines and recovered investment assets.
When a brokerage firm fails, investors' assets are covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Securities held at the broker-dealer are protected up to $500,000; cash is protected up to $250,000, but only for the value held – assets are not protected from market loss. And this protection is only offered for customers of firms who are members of the SIPC.
Investors who have suffered losses from fraud may also find recourse under federal bankruptcy laws or private class-action lawsuits.
The SEC conducts hundreds of investigations each year and says many violations pertain to the misrepresentation of investments, price manipulation, theft, insider trading or the sale of unregistered securities. A substantial number of these actions are spurred by tips from the public, consumer complaints and whistleblowers. Recent scams have targeted seniors, involved oil and gas companies, gold mining investments and speculative startup companies. Often investors are lured into such schemes on the heels of major news events, including rackets based on the recent Ebola outbreak.
Taylor Boiler and Equipment Company Product Descriptions
Parker 3 to 150 H.P. Steam Boilers (available in nat. gas, propane, oil or combination gas/oil):
The boiler requires less than ten minutes to heat up to 100 PSI Steam from a cold start. This is a considerable time and fuel saver. The control system and entire boiler are furnished so that it is simple to operate and easy to repair.
Parker Low NOx Premix Technology with heavy duty Metal Fiber Burners:
Extremely low NOx and CO levels are attained by the Premix Burner System. NOx levels below 20 PPM at 3% O2 and CO levels below 100 PPM are easily obtained and assured.
Parker Tray & Spray Feedwater Deaerators:
The Parker Deaerator reduces the residual oxygen level in make-up water to below 7ppb (parts per billion) or .005 cc per liter, CO2 is virtually zero. They incorporate a number of features that make it unique on the market, more modern with fewer moving parts, simpler and easier to operate.
Parker Automatic Feedwater Return Systems:
The return system provides a quality, heavy duty packaged unit fully assembled and ready to install. It is standardly recommended with high pressure steam boilers for supply water with a boiler feed pump that operates on demand from the boiler water level control.
Parker Blowdown Tanks:
The blowdown tank is a high quality heavy duty tank properly designed with adequate volume to provide a safe and effective blowdown method which is necessary for flushing steam boilers.
Parker Direct Fired Hot Water Boilers (available in nat. gas, propane, oil or combination gas/oil):
This boiler was specifically designed to provide the industry with a superior quality boiler with definite advantages for long life and economical operation at low initial cost. It is recommended for closed system building or process heating.
Parker High Temperature Thermal Liquid Heaters (available in nat. gas, propane, oil or combination gas/oil):
Process heating applications which require temperatures between 350F and 650F can frequently be served more dependably, efficiently, uniformly and safely with a Thermal Liquid System than with steam, water, electric or direct fired systems.
Parker Indirect Fired Hot Water Heaters (available in nat. gas or propane):
The indirect heating method is accomplished in the Parker by circulating the supply water from a storage tank through an integral mounted copper tube heat exchanger so that it does not come in contact with the boiler water or high furnace temperatures.
Parker Tanks & Heat Exchanges:
The tanks are constructed to the high standards of the ASME code. A wide range of sizes are available in either the vertical or horizontal type. Parker heat exchangers are available in a variety of sizes and capacities to meet your needs.
QuikWater Direct Contact Water Heaters:
The QuikWater has a patented water-cooled dry firing chamber. As cold water comes into direct contact with rising hot combustion air from a gas burner, an instantaneous heat transfer occurs. This heat transfer, in which all of the heat energy is absorbed by the water, is 99% energy efficient.
Reimers Electric Steam Boilers:
Their electric boilers range in size from 1.5 to 500 KW (.15 to 50 B/H.P.) Electric boilers can often be set adjacent to the application, providing added convenience.
Custom Care Water Technologies - Water Softeners & Filters:
Custom Care Water Technologies extensive product line offers sound solutions to water treatment problems in markets ranging from light commercial to heavy industrial installations.
