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Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are attracting investors interested in new trends in technology investing. Regulation of ICOs is evolving and complex.

Cryptocurrencies burst into the investing mainstream in 2017 as the values of some virtual coins and tokens skyrocketed, led by Bitcoin. Mainstream media now feature daily coverage of new cryptocurrencies, coin exchanges, and related investment products.

Bismarck, ND, January 4, 2018 — With cryptocurrencies continuing to attract headlines, Securities Commissioner Karen Tyler today reminded North Dakota investors to be cautious about investments involving cryptocurrencies. 

In an effort to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors, the U.S. Congress in the early 1990s authorized the creation of a new type of immigrant visa known as the Employment-Based, Fifth Preference (EB-5) visa.

Escheatment is a process whereby the government takes ownership of property, including financial assets, that has been deemed abandoned by the property’s rightful owner. Escheatment of financial accounts typically occurs after a period of account-related dormancy (or “inactivity”) and after attempts to identify and contact the account owners have failed.

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, a series of legislative provisions intended to facilitate capital formation in the United States, was signed into law in 2012. This legislation included the CROWDFUND Act, which made significant changes to current federal and state securities laws. The CROWDFUND Act allows entrepreneurs to raise capital by offering to sell interests in their businesses over the Internet. Under the CROWDFUND Act, a small business is allowed to raise $1 million in a 12-month period by selling its securities to investors without registering that offering with federal or state securities regulators. However, the Act places limitations on how and to whom a small business can sell its securities. In May 2106, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued rules to implement this new exemption to allow securities sales through crowdfunding.
 

The Internet has become an inexpensive and easy way for individuals and businesses to raise money. In 2012, Congress passed the JOBS Act, which directed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to formulate rules to exempt equity crowdfunding from the securities registration laws.  These rules went into effect in May, 2016 and removed restrictions on start-up companies that use the internet to find investors.   

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help investors understand Master Limited Partnerships, or MLPs.  Because investing in an MLP may be unfamiliar, investors should carefully consider potential benefits – and risks – before making an investment decision.

A pension is a type of retirement plan, usually tax-exempt, in which an employee makes contributions toward a pool of funds set aside for an employee’s future benefit. The pool of funds is invested on the employee’s behalf, allowing the employee to receive benefits upon retirement.

• Are you earning a pension from your employer and need cash fast?
• Are you an investor looking for new ways to grow your investment dollars?

If you answer yes to either question, you may be the target of a new wrinkle on an old type of scam.

Victims of investment scams are wise to use caution if approached by companies promising to help them recover their lost investment funds and bring the perpetrators to "justice."  A third-party asset recovery company is a company that charges a fee to assist individuals in recovering money lost in scams.  The company claims to gather information on the scam and assist the individual in recovering lost investment dollars.  Many of these self-proclaimed recovery companies are not law firms, although they may advertise that they can provide legal assistance.  Typically, the targeted investors have lost thousands of dollars, perhaps even their entire life's savings, to fraudulent investment schemes.