Real estate scams and Ponzi schemes have been around for centuries, but with the advent of the internet, social media, and digital banking, more and more scams and schemes have been popping up. You might think that only the uneducated or ill-informed fall prey to these monetary predators, but you’d be wrong. Just recently, two of our expert guests, James Dainard and Jamil Damji, were ripped off in Ponzi schemes that the federal government intervened in. Thankfully, James pulled out his principal earlier on, realizing what was happening. But Jamil was blindsided, leaving him with a seven-figure loss. Both James and Jamil were brave enough to share their stories, and more importantly, the entire On the Market panel have come together to break down how NOT to get scammed on your next investment. Kathy Fettke, a syndicator herself, describes EXACTLY what to look for when passively investing in a deal and why inexperienced operators have become the norm in 2023. Next, Henry Washington shares what you MUST do to ensure a contractor doesn’t run off with your money and how to pace a project, so you aren’t left with an empty bank account and half-done home renovation. Then, we’ll switch gears as Jamil gives actionable steps to ensure your wholesaler brings you a real deal. Finally, James highlights which lenders you should or shouldn’t use and how inexperienced investors are getting strapped with loans that could liquefy their deals all at once. To finish the episode, James and Jamil give the nitty-gritty details of the Ponzi schemes they fell victim to and how even experienced investors can be taken advantage of. ~~~~ Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇 https://www.biggerpockets.com/signup?… ~~~~ Listen to The “On The Market” Podcast Wherever You Listen to Podcasts: BiggerPockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcast… Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast… Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2NlzZ9N… ~~~~ Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise: https://www.fundrise.com/bpmarket ~~~~ Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area: http://biggerpockets.com/agentmatch ~~~~ 10 Glaring Red Flags That Indicate Your “Great Deal” May Be a Costly Scam: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/20… ~~~~ Watch the “American Greed” Episode on The Movie Rights Scheme: 
• Streaming and Sch… ~~~~ Connect with Dave and Our Panel of Guests: Dave Meyer: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/d… Henry Washington: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/h… James Dainard: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/j… Jamil Damji: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/j… Kathy Fettke: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/k… ~~~~ Follow Dave and Our Guests on Instagram: Dave: @thedatadeli or https://www.instagram.com/thedatadeli/ Henry: @thehenrywashington or https://www.instagram.com/thehenrywas… James: @jdainflips or https://www.instagram.com/jdainflips/ Jamil: @jdamji or https://www.instagram.com/jdamji/ Kathy: @kathyfettke or https://www.instagram.com/kathyfettke/ BiggerPockets: @biggerpockets or https://www.instagram.com/biggerpockets/ Episode #93 Show notes at: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on… 00:00 Intro 02:16 Vetting Syndications 12:18 Vetting Contractors 24:52 Vetting Wholesalers 31:10 Vetting Lenders 37:52 Caught in a Ponzi Scheme 48:13 The $650M Movie Scam 01:00:09 Connect with Our Guests!