How To Smell A Rat: The Five Signs Of Financial Fraud

In December 2008, a well-regarded member of the finance community, former NASDAQ chairman, huge charitable contributor, and pillar of New York society admitted to his sons the $65 billion he managed for hedge funds, charities, foundations, Hollywood stars, and myriad smaller investors was a fraud - a Ponzi scheme.
2008 and 2009 will be remembered for bear markets, a global credit crunch, and some of the largest investment scams ever. But these scams are nothing new - from Charles Ponzi to Robert Vesco to Bernard Madoff - they've been repeated throughout history, and there will certainly be more to come in the future. But the good news is fraudsters often follow the same basic playbook. Learn the playbook - and know how to ask the right questions - and financial fraud can be easy to detect and simple to avoid.