There is no doubt that many start-up companies are being destroyed by short selling combined with fraudulent stock manipulation. As a investor I have seen a great deal of evidence to support this. I have watched message boards of promising companies be completely wiped out by inane, suggestive postings filled with innuendo and no substance. I have also felt the effect of these messages as investor confidence dribbled away and the price of the effected stock plummeted. And I, perhaps through a lack of diligence, have yet to see a single act of litigation by the SEC addressing the individuals or institutions involved. It is possible there has been much done that I have not seen, I do not read all the SEC litigation filings. I have seen litigation concerning Pump and Dump schemes. I see evidence of this on the message boards as well. The Pump and Dump is a scheme where an unscrupulous company either themselves post irrationally exuberant messages using multiple aliases or hire others to do so. These scams are commonplace and seem to be prosecuted regularly, but clearly not often enough.
Many so-called "bashers" are victims of the shell game and their pleas to the SEC, FBI, and other agencies go unheard, if they bother to register complaints in the first place. (But Woof) Often, they are frustrated and angry and have no outlet aside from the message boards onto which they vent their wrath. It is their desire to both express their anger and submit warnings to others like themselves who have not yet "seen the light". Many times their tactics are unsophisticated and crude because they are not sophisticated people. There is no test of sophistication to invest. The laws surrounding the stock market are supposed to keep the playing field level and fair so more knowledgeable, unscrupulous people do not quickly swindle the average investor.
The SEC and FBI are responsible for policing illegal market activity; let it remain their job. If the SEC and FBI fail to respond, and allow crimes to continue, they are the ones who should be held accountable…
Use online forms to file your complaint electronically.