Contact Info
Service Hotline:
Company email:
Headquarters address:
No. 350, Lijiang Road, Shijiazhuang High-tech Zone
Recognize the true nature of illegal fundraising and consciously stay away from and resist it.
★ What is illegal fundraising?
Illegal fundraising refers to the act of raising funds from the general public by legal entities, other organizations, or individuals without obtaining approval from the competent authorities.
★ Main characteristics of illegal fundraising
1. Raising funds without obtaining legal approval from the relevant authorities or by disguising such fundraising as legitimate business operations; 2. Publicly promoting the scheme to the public through media, promotional events, flyers, text messages, and other channels; 3. Promising to repay principal and interest or provide returns in the form of currency, physical assets, equity, or other means within a specified period; 4. Raising funds from unspecified members of the public.
★ Common Methods of Illegal Fundraising
1. Promising high returns. To lure the public into falling for their scams, illegal operators often dangle the prospect of exorbitant profits and promise investors substantial returns. In the early stages of illegal fundraising, they typically honor their promises by paying principal and interest on time and in full. However, once the fundraising reaches a certain scale, they secretly transfer funds or abscond with the money, leaving those who participated in the fundraising to suffer financial losses.
2. Fabricating false projects. Most illegal actors, under the guise of complying with national industrial policies and the like, use contract signing as a facade to concoct fictitious projects, promising high and fixed returns in order to defraud the public into investing. Some illegal actors, under the pretext of entrusted wealth management, deliberately blur the distinction between investment and wealth management, using new terms such as “electronic gold,” “investment funds,” “online foreign exchange trading,” and “e-commerce” to mislead the public, promising stable and high returns to swindle them.
3. Creating hype through false advertising. To gain the trust of the general public, illegal actors often spend lavishly on publicity, employing strategies such as hiring celebrity endorsers, publishing exclusive interviews in well-known newspapers and magazines, hiring people to widely distribute promotional flyers, and making charitable donations—all aimed at creating a false sense of momentum and luring the public into investing. Some illegal actors even take advantage of the virtual space provided by the internet, setting up websites in remote locations or renting overseas servers to host their sites. Others use online platforms like websites, blogs, and forums, as well as instant messaging tools such as QQ and MSN, to spread false information and trick the public into investing. Once they are discovered, they quickly shut down their websites and flee with the funds.
4. Exploiting familial ties for deception. Criminals often leverage relationships with relatives, friends, and fellow villagers, enticing the general public into investing with promises of high returns. Some participants in pyramid schemes, subjected to mental indoctrination or physical coercion by the scheme’s organizers, are willing to exploit their familial and regional connections—recruiting family members, friends, classmates, or neighbors—in order to meet or boost their personal performance targets. As a result, the number of participants spreads rapidly, and the scale of fundraising continues to expand.
★ How to Identify and Prevent Illegal Fundraising Activities?
First, we must clearly understand the nature and dangers of illegal fundraising, enhance our ability to identify such schemes, and consciously resist various temptations. We should calmly analyze investment projects that promise “high returns” or “quick riches,” and avoid falling victim to scams.
Second, it is important to correctly identify illegal fundraising activities. The key factors to consider include whether the entity involved holds a legal qualification and whether its fundraising activities have obtained the necessary approvals; whether funds are being raised from unspecified members of the public; whether the entity promises returns—illegal fundraising typically involves offering a certain percentage of return on investment; and whether the entity uses legal forms to conceal the illicit nature of its fundraising activities.
Third, we must strengthen our awareness of rational investing. High returns often come with high risks, and irregular economic activities pose even greater risks. Therefore, it is essential to enhance our awareness of rational investing and protect our rights and interests in accordance with the law.
Fourth, we must enhance our awareness of taking full responsibility for the risks associated with participating in illegal fundraising. Illegal fundraising is an unlawful activity, and funds and related benefits invested by participants in such schemes are not protected by law. Therefore, when certain organizations or individuals tout high-interest deposits, stocks, bonds, funds, and development projects with promises of exceptionally high returns, you must carefully identify these offers and invest prudently.