Investment fraud causes thousands of people to lose millions of dollars every year — sometimes the entirety of their life savings. If you have been deprived of your hard-earned wealth due to misconduct on the part of a stockbroker, brokerage firm, or other type of financial advisor, seek legal advice as soon as possible. Turn to a trusted Pennsylvania investment fraud lawyer from Erez Law, PLLC, for help pursuing financial recovery and justice from those who defrauded you.
Our nationally recognized investment fraud lawyers have recovered over $200 million for clients throughout Pennsylvania, across the country, and around the world. When you need to go up against powerful brokerages and Wall Street firms, you need attorneys with the experience and resources to level the playing field. For more than two decades, we have focused exclusively on these complex investor fraud cases, and we are proud to have a 99% success rate.
If you believe you have been the victim of investment fraud in Pennsylvania, reach out to Erez Law, PLLC, today for a free initial case review. It will not cost you a penny to discuss your legal options with a knowledgeable Pennsylvania investment fraud lawyer. And you don’t pay any legal fees unless we recover money for you.
What Is Securities Fraud?
Securities fraud refers to a wide variety of intentional misconduct and reckless behaviors that cause an investor to make a purchase or sale of securities based on dishonest or misleading information, or to otherwise make investment decisions unsuitable for the investor’s needs and goals. Securities fraud typically results in the loss of the investor’s money and can be committed by companies, brokers, brokerage firms, or investment/financial advisors. Securities fraud can involve criminal behavior and can lead to civil liability for those who defraud investors.
Currently, we are investigating numerous brokers and companies who made fraudulent actions; this includes Alliance Bernstein. If you were the victim of a fraudulent broker, we are here to help you!
Signs You May Have Been the Victim of Securities Fraud
The following can be signs of securities fraud:
- Your brokerage account statements do not make sense, or the numbers on the statement do not add up.
- Your statements reflect securities transactions that you did not authorize or had no knowledge of.
- Your account has unexplained credits or debits.
- You suffer a dramatic drop in the value of your investments in a short period.
- You suffer a loss of the value of your investments despite most stocks in the market rising in value.
- Your broker or advisor regularly recommends investments that lose value.
- Your broker or advisor fails to disclose material information regarding an investment.
- Your broker begins trading in speculative or highly volatile securities.
- Your advisor or broker recommends investments whose financial results regularly fail to meet previously announced expectations
- Your broker or advisor stops returning calls or emails.
Of course, these signs may simply indicate that your broker or advisor has incorrectly analyzed the viability of investments. But any suspicions should prompt you to speak to a Pennsylvania investment fraud lawyer who can further investigate the situation and advise you regarding your options.
How a Pennsylvania Investment Fraud Attorney Can Help You
If you have suffered losses because of securities fraud, a Pennsylvania investment fraud attorney from Erez Law, PLLC, can help you by:
- Investigating your case thoroughly to recover evidence that you were defrauded by a company, stockbroker, brokerage firm, or financial advisor
- Calculating your financial losses, including the lost value of your investment and other expenses and losses
- Identifying the party or parties who can be held liable for defrauding you
- Filing formal complaints with state, federal, and private securities regulators
- Pursuing maximum compensation for your investment losses
Common Types of Securities Fraud Cases Our Law Firm Helps With
Some of the types of securities fraud cases that Erez Law, PLLC, can help you with include:
- Hedge fund fraud, or fraud involving private funds that pool money from individual investors to make investments according to specific strategies
- Junk bond fraud, which involves speculative, high-risk, high-volatility investments in corporate bonds and bond funds
- Oil and energy investment fraud, which may arise from failing to advise investors regarding the risks and potentially volatile nature of the oil and energy industry
- Ponzi scheme fraud, a type of investment fraud in which dividends or other payments are made to existing investors using funds from new investors, who are lured in through promises of high returns
- Preferred shares of stock fraud, which may occur when investors are not warned of the risk or are pushed into unsuitable investments
- Private placement fraud, or fraud in the non-public issuance of securities, typically from startups and other small companies, which may include failing to disclose all material risks of the investment or potential conflicts of interest
- Variable annuity investment fraud, involves a type of financial instrument that pays income to the investor based on how the investments in the variable annuity fund have performed
- Stockbroker fraud and misconduct, which may include failing to make full disclosures regarding prospective investments or making purchases or sales of securities without a client’s knowledge or consent
- Elder financial fraud, is a specific subset of securities fraud that targets elderly investors, who may be less active in managing their investments or otherwise more vulnerable to fraud
- EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program fraud, which financially exploits foreign nationals seeking to become permanent lawful residents in the U.S. through the EB-5 visa program, which allows foreign nationals to move to the U.S. by making investments in U.S. companies to create new jobs and drive economic growth
What Is the Securities Fraud Statute of Limitations in PA?
Investors have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit alleging a violation of the Pennsylvania Securities Act or federal securities laws. These time limits are known as statutes of limitations. In addition, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) places its own time limits on investor fraud claims. These time limits make it important to talk to a Pennsylvania investment fraud lawyer about the details of your case as soon as possible so that you do not lose your right to pursue compensation.
How Much Are Securities Fraud Attorneys’ Fees?
At Erez Law, PLLC, our Pennsylvania securities fraud attorneys are prepared to handle your case on a contingency fee basis. This means that you pay nothing upfront to hire us. Our investment loss attorneys are instead paid a percentage of the total financial recovery we secure on your behalf. This percentage is agreed upon ahead of time.
State and federal securities laws also sometimes allow victims of fraud who recover compensation in court to obtain fee shifting, in which the defendant or defendants are ordered to pay the plaintiff’s legal fees and costs.
Resources for Pennsylvania Investors
If you believe you may have been the victim of securities fraud In Pennsylvania, you can turn to the following resources for help:
- Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities is the state agency responsible for overseeing the registration and sale of securities sold in the Commonwealth.
- Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection can investigate brokers who engage in fraud or other unlawful business practices with respect to the sale of securities to individual consumers.
- Pennsylvania Securities Act is the state statute that governs securities in Pennsylvania.
- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a private, self-regulatory industry organization that oversees member securities exchange markets and brokerage firms.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the federal agency that oversees the securities industry nationwide.
Unfortunately, in many securities fraud cases, government and private regulatory agencies cannot obtain financial recovery for investors who have been defrauded. That’s why you should speak to a Pennsylvania investment fraud lawyer to learn more about your options for pursuing the compensation you deserve.
Talk to Our Pennsylvania Securities Fraud Attorneys Now
If you have suffered suspicious financial losses, contact Erez Law, PLLC, for a free consultation with a Pennsylvania securities fraud lawyer. We work with investors in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and across the state. Our firm can help you understand your options for pursuing compensation from the financial professionals who took advantage of you in an investment dispute.