Margie Manning, a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal, recently penned an article entitled "Robbed without a gun: Tampa Bay is one of the nation's hot spots for financial fraud." Check out the article here. As Ms. Manning notes, the wealthy, retired and senior residents in Tampa Bay are frequently targeted and solicited to purchase potentially fraudulent investments or to participate in fraudulent schemes.

Many "bad actors" in the industry are only exposed due to customer complaints. While customers are frequently embarrassed to tell someone that they might have fallen victim to the fraud, it's the only way that potential civil remedies can be explored. Legal avenues exist for victims to recover all or some of their investment losses from the insurance companies, securities brokerage firms, and investment companies involved in the transactions at issue and for which the perpetrators act as employees or agents. If you believe that you may be a victim of fraud by a Florida securities broker or insurance agent, please contact attorney Joel Ewusiak for assistance.