Federal immigration agents didn’t swarm polling locations. FBI agents didn’t storm processing centers or seize ballots. A thousand federal election monitors caused little fuss. And President Trump — the nation’s election denier in chief — responded to a shellacking for his Republican Party by saying he’d work with Democrats as they take power in Congress in January.
In many ways, the unprecedented fear and months of warnings from top officials in California that the Trump administration would seek to disrupt Tuesday’s midterm elections fizzled. But that does not mean an end to the administration’s war on alleged voter fraud by noncitizens — a cornerstone of its election interference efforts in California, and one that has threatened criminal sanctions not just against individuals who illegally cast ballots, but local elections officials who counted such votes.
Since the weekend,…
Investment fraud targets the human desire for financial growth by promising high returns with “low to no risk.”
- Ponzi Schemes: Named after Charles Ponzi, these schemes pay “returns” to earlier investors using the capital brought in by newer investors. There is no actual underlying business; the system collapses when new recruitment slows down.
- Pyramid Schemes: Similar to Ponzi schemes, but participants are usually required to sell a product or service. The primary “profit” comes from the recruitment fees of new members rather than actual product sales.
- Pump and Dump: Fraudsters spread false, positive rumors about a cheap stock (the “pump”) to drive up the price. Once the price peaks, they sell their shares (the “dump”), leaving other investors with worthless stock.