Consumer & Investment Fraud

Consumer and investment fraud encompasses schemes designed to deceive individuals into parting with their money through false promises, misrepresentation, or manipulation. These crimes range from sophisticated Ponzi schemes and unregistered securities offerings to online romance scams and deceptive free-trial traps.

The FBI reports that Americans lose tens of billions of dollars annually to consumer fraud. Investment fraud alone — including Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, and affinity fraud — accounts for some of the largest individual losses, with victims often losing their life savings or retirement funds to a single scheme.

What makes consumer and investment fraud particularly devastating is the personal nature of the loss. Unlike corporate fraud, these schemes target individuals directly, exploiting trust, emotional vulnerability, and the universal desire for financial security.

Investment fraud often presents with consistent, above-market returns regardless of economic conditions, pressure to invest immediately, reluctance to provide written documentation, and complex strategies that the promoter cannot clearly explain. If an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Consumer scams share common tactics: unsolicited contact, urgency and pressure to act now, requests for unusual payment methods such as wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, and attempts to isolate the victim from family or financial advisors. Romance scammers build emotional bonds over weeks or months before fabricating emergencies that require money.

Watch for unregistered investments not listed with the SEC or FINRA, promoters who are not licensed or have disciplinary histories, and schemes that recruit new investors to pay returns to earlier ones — the hallmark of a Ponzi or pyramid structure.

MPM Consulting's consumer and investment fraud practice draws on our investigators' direct experience building federal cases against fraudsters. We trace the flow of funds, identify the individuals and entities behind the scheme, and document the evidence needed to pursue civil recovery or criminal prosecution.

For investment fraud, we conduct forensic analysis of account statements, offering documents, and fund flows to determine whether returns are legitimate or fabricated. We identify the point at which the scheme began, calculate actual losses, and map the distribution of investor funds — critical evidence for both litigation and regulatory enforcement.

For consumer scams including romance fraud, lottery schemes, and online purchase fraud, we work to identify the perpetrators, trace where the money went, and help victims understand their options for recovery. Our investigators coordinate with law enforcement and financial institutions when asset recovery is possible.