Investing online

Online investing and investment tracking is fast, efficient, and often less expensive than using a personal broker. Still, you should do your research carefully.
The types of investment fraud seen online mirror the fraud perpetrated over the phone or through the mail. Hundreds of online investment newsletters offer seemingly unbiased information free of charge about featured companies or recommended "stock picks." While legitimate online newsletters can help investors gather valuable information, many online newsletters are tools for fraud. If an investment newsletter comes unsolicited to you, consider that it may be a scam.

Keep in mind that fraudsters may use a combination of Internet tools to spread false information, including bulletin boards, online newsletters, spam, or chat. They can build glitzy, sophisticated Web pages for very little money. They may reference several of these fraudulent sites and urge you to visit them as a way of verifying that you that you have checked several sources, however these sources are phony.

To invest wisely and steer clear of frauds, you can get the facts from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Web site.