A post on a Las Vegas-area real estate agent’s website promoted an investment opportunity that seemed too good to be true.
"To learn how you can earn 10%+++ Profit on your investments Every Month very safely with Zero Risk in High Yield, A-Rated Institutional Contracts, with a 31 year old firm, CLICK HERE for more information,’’ said the post on Realty One Group agent Anita Hernandez’s website.
This post and the website it linked to caught the attention of Nevada securities regulators, who on Monday issued a cease and desist order to Hernandez, two other individuals and a company they are associated with.
Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, whose office includes the state’s Securities Division, said Monday the division issued the cease and desist order to Hernandez, Corporate Associates Inc. (CAI) and two CAI representatives listed on its website, Paulette M. Goetz and Jim Chase.
Those receiving the order were told to stop selling or offering to sell unregistered securities until they are licensed and registered with the state.
Miller’s office said CAI’s website offers potential investors the opportunity to participate in "High-Yield Joint Venture Contracts" that purportedly do not pose a risk to investment capital and allegedly provide for the purchase and sale of "Euro Medium Term Notes," which are described on the website as "Bank Debenture Investments, mostly 10-year term notes issued by major banks to secure debt by corporations for expansion capital on a first-year basis."
CAI’s offering is not registered as a security in Nevada, CAI is not a licensed broker/dealer or investment adviser, and neither of CAI’s listed representatives is licensed as a securities sales representative, Miller’s office said.
Hernandez’s website included a link to CAI’s website, but she is not licensed to sell securities in Nevada, the Securities Division said. The link at issue on Hernandez's website was displayed Monday night, but by Tuesday morning it appeared to have been deleted.
"Anyone who has made an investment with Ms. Goetz, Mr. Chase or their company should contact my office (800 758-6440) immediately," Miller said in a statement. "The Securities Division is constantly on the lookout for unregistered securities and unlicensed agents to protect investors from misleading offerings and potentially fraudulent schemes."
Messages for comment were left with Hernandez, Goetz and Chase.
Goetz, listed on the website as CAI’s president and CEO, said an inquiry from the Las Vegas Sun and VEGAS INC on Monday was the first she had heard of the cease and desist order.
Goetz said she couldn’t comment until she talked to the Securities Division about it.
On the link from Hernandez’s website, Corporate Associates Inc. had been listed as being located in Las Vegas at 6000 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 14H.