How to Verify Investment Opportunities

Beginner

6 mins read March 30, 2023

Invest your money!

Invest your money!

You've probably heard that phrase more times than you can count. You might also have seen about a hundred flyers advertising investment schemes and been invited to a dozen telegram group chats. 

The pressure, right? Taking part in investment opportunities is a great choice but then there are investments and there are ‘investment-lookalikes’ (scams) and it’s easy to get sucked into all of it when you can’t tell the difference. So in this article, we are going to delve into how you can verify investment opportunities that are legit. None of that Ponzi Scheme drama.

So let’s get into it.

What are investment opportunities?

Investment opportunities are basically cases where you have the option to buy something that could increase in value over time. When you put money on an investment option, what you are doing is taking a part of your income to purchase something that you think -- based on reliable knowledge -- will increase in value and in return make you more money. When you think about the prospect of sleeping and your money growing, investments sound pretty exciting and the additional earnings you make from an investment is what we refer to as passive income

There are several investment opportunities around today. These days, people can invest in stocks, bonds, agriculture and real estate majorly through crowdfunding platforms, the establishment of new business and, of course, cryptocurrencies. With these many investment options available and more get-rich-quick schemes on the rise, it is important to be able to identify what is real and what is not. The last thing you want is your hard-earned money carted off by a scammer you thought you could trust.

What are investment scams?

Basically, investment scams are schemes that try to get you to put your money into a venture with promises of getting ridiculously high returns. There are various types of investment scams but regardless of the form it takes, there are usually telling signs that an investment opportunity could very well be a scam. However, one needs to be very attentive to details because these schemes are often carefully designed to look like a real investment opportunity which an unsuspecting person could easily fall for.

Common types of investment scams

Here are some of the common investment scams that you may have come across and should always watch out for:

  • Forex scam - this kind of scam hides behind the popularity of the foreign exchange market and promises huge returns within short periods of time if you let them trade on your behalf.
  • Ponzi/pyramid schemes - there are chances that you’ve come across these scams even amidst your circle. Ponzi schemes take money from someone to pay another person without any real substance to the scheme while pyramid schemes use multi-level marketing (MLM) to get you to bring others onto the platform (may be referred to as downlines) before you can get paid. But also, there is no actual product attached to this scheme.
  • Pump and dump scam - here, a group of investors may collude to buy an asset with no value and promote it so that the price hikes, then they exit and leave you at a loss.

So how do you verify that an investment opportunity is legit?

  • If you don’t understand it, don’t put your money into it

The first rule of investing is that if you do not understand the investment then you shouldn’t put money into it. When you come across a new investment opportunity, the first question that pops in your head is; how do I get my money back as well as the interest on it? This information should be readily and publicly available to you and most importantly, you must be able to understand how it works and how the money is made before you decide to take a chance with the investment opportunity. If you’ve read it over and over, maybe asked a friend to do some explaining and even talked to someone at the company and still can’t wrap your head around it, then yes, it’s probably a bad idea

  • Too good to be true? Then it probably is

Invest 5,000 and make 50,000 in 7 days!

Dear friend, you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you what’s going to happen if you decide to put your last 2,000 in this kind of investment option. It has the word suspicious written all over it. Let’s go over it together: NGN 5,000 yielding NGN 50,000 in 7 days is equivalent to a 900% interest. If you invested in crypto or even real estate, you wouldn’t be getting that kind of interest rate even in 12 months, much less 7 days. Be honest with yourself and do your due diligence whenever you are presented with a new investment opportunity. Sure, it is easy to get carried away but remember, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

  • If it runs solely on referrals, that’s a red flag

For instance, while Yellow Card offers you a referral bonus for inviting your friends and family, you do not have to and nothing would happen to your crypto holding. The referral bonus is just an incentive from us and a way for you to make a passive income.

  • They guarantee that returns will be made

Companies or the institutions handling these investment options have a duty to disclose the possibility of losses to investors. So if an investment option is guaranteeing that they are 100% sure that returns will be made, then something isn’t quite right and you should consider taking a pass on it.

In conclusion...

There are legit investment opportunities worth checking out. It is, however, important to never be in haste when you're ready to invest. Carry out proper research and understand whatever offer you are getting before putting your money into it.

Disclaimer: This article is meant to provide general guidance and understanding of cryptocurrency and the Blockchain network. It’s not an exhaustive list and should not be taken as financial advice. Yellow Card Academy is not responsible for your investment decisions.

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