Affinity Fraud

What Is Affinity Fraud and How Can It Lead To Investor Losses?

Getting a recommendation to work with a financial advisor from someone you know, especially if the latter and others in your community are also working with that registered broker or investment advisor, is one of the reasons that investors end up deciding to sign with a particular broker-dealer or RIA. If that financial professional is experienced and does a good job of protecting and growing your assets, then you are all set. However, should you end up working with someone unscrupulous, a type of broker misconduct involving what is known as affinity fraud can happen.

Affinity fraud is the term given to when a scammer targets members of an identifiable group. The fraudster might be part of the group (or perhaps even pretend to be a member) and/or share a cultural or ethnic affinity. Affinity fraud takes advantage of the trust and relationships within these groups. Not only that but because of said relationships, victims of affinity fraud may be reluctant to report any suspected financial exploitation.