“High Yield Investment Program Fraud” is the general term given to fraudulent schemes with various names, such as Prime Bank Investment Programs / Debenture Programs / Guarantees, High Yield Trading Programs, Medium Term Note Trading / Standby Letter of Credit Trading Programs and Roll Programme's.

 ► Are you involved in a scheme where it has been claimed that someone has access to a secret financial trading program, authorised by the United States Federal Reserve Bank, the Treasury Department, the International Monetary Fund, the International Chamber of Commerce, United Nations, or another International Monetary Authority.

 ► Have you been introduced to alleged highly ranked world financial shaker and mover and has it been suggested that you might, subject to approval, be invited to participate in the trading of some form of bank security such as guarantees, notes, stocks or debentures.

 ► If your answer is yes to any of the above, then the following will also seem familiar:-

 ► It has probably been explained to you that various instruments can be bought at a substantial discount and traded or sold to an end purchaser (also known as a trader or commitment holder) who has already contracted to pay much higher price.

 ► The "Commitment Holder" is one of only five or six people in the world who are licensed or authorised by the United States Federal Reserve, to work with the worlds top 50 Prime rated AAA banks who are also part of the secret deal.

 ► Profits of 2 -5 % per trade can be earned which allows you to often make 100% per week, by rolling up on the number of trades done. The downside which you should not object to is that because the returns are so large the US government insists that a portion of the profits be placed into one of its approved programme's via a special account for disbursement in the fight against terrorism, HIV, or any variation which is the flavour of the month.

 ► Entry to the programme is subject to FED or CIA approval with strict secrecy conditions and the minimum investment is $100,000,000.

 ► If you do not have the minimum figure available then it is still possible to join as the trader is compiling a pool of investors whose funds will be pledged as a security whilst remaining in your account.

 ► As the scam progresses new subtleties are introduced and the rules are changed for a variety of apparently logical reasons, which are all designed to relieve the innocent of their money.

 ► Typically you may be told that the programme is full for the present and that in order to avoid disappointing you the "Trader" might be persuaded to allow you entry into his private one. This new programme is slightly different as in order to satisfy the banking regulations under the new money laundering rules etc; he has as a simply formality never to be used have joint signatory rights on the holding account.

 ► At first profits are paid on time and the investor inadvertently helps the scammer by spreading the word and involving more people.

 ► Quite unexpectedly payments stop or suffer a delay and when you contact your new friends, you are advised.

 ► The profits have been delayed, by the FED because of a bank error and that the Trader is fixing matters.

 ► A Banking officer encrypted the wrong transfer code and the funds were returned. The Trader is on the case.

 ► The Trader has been rushed to hospital, mugged broken his leg etc; and the funds will be disbursed as soon as he is able.

 ► The trading Bank is undergoing a snap Federal audit or is involved in a merger, so all transfers of this type are temporarily suspended.

 ► All profits have been diverted for this month by executive order to help the victims of such and such disaster.

 ► The lawyer of one of the investors approved by the trader contacted the bank and asked a lot of questions, which the Bank are not allowed to answer and when they sought advice from the FED, they were told to put everything to do with our trader on hold.

 ► The Trader is out of the country on a government mission to Iraq helping reorganise the financial structure and will disburse the funds when he returns.

 ► I thought that you knew trading stops from the middle of November until the end of January because those are not approved days for trading.

 ► If you have heared any of these excuses or variations upon the same theme, then you have very likely got a problem and we suggest that you quickly get professional advice.

 ► Watch out for these words and phrases which are often used in these frauds and have little or no meaning in commercial banking or financial practices, or are used contrary to standard practice.

We have not touched upon scams related to securities, Soerkanos' gold, historical bonds, diamonds and cash boxes etc;

Good luck and remember that there is no substitute for proper due diligence and if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.