£1.2 billion is lost to investment scams in the UK, with share sales, wine investments, land banking and carbon credits commonly used by fraudsters to target potential investors. Anyone can become a victim of investment fraud.
An emerging investment fraud is pension liberation, also known as 'pension loans' and 'pension scams', is a transfer of a scheme member’s pension savings to an arrangement that will allow them to access their funds before the age 55.
Pension liberation can be illegal where members are misled about key consequences of entering into one of these arrangements. This could be because they’re not informed of the tax consequences, fees involved or how the remainder of their pension savings are invested. Details can be found on the Pensions Regulator website.
The wine and spirits trade association (WSTA) has provided advice for consumers looking to invest in wines. Details can be found at ‘Investing in Fine Wines’
See also:
Goods as Investment
Share Sale and Investment Fraud