Scam artists, posing as FINRA CEO Robert W. Cook, “guaranteed” fraudulent investments to victims - and had the audacity to put Cook at the helm of the International Monetary Fund instead of FINRA – that, according to the NYPost in an article by John Aidan Byrne.

Imposter scam mailings have gotten so bad and prevalent, that the regulator, itself, recently published an Investor Alert on its web site - Imposter Scams: Don’t Be Fooled By ‘Guarantees’ or Money-Making Pitches from ‘Regulators’. The Investor Alert addresses “advance-fee” scam mailings that seek to entice investors to send money to cover administrative or regulatory charges associated with a buy back of shares of stock that are currently virtually worthless or "underperforming."

Seeking legitimacy, these mailings include the FINRA logo and repeatedly use the word “guarantee” to build credibility and trust. And, of course, they refer to the Regulatory Guarantor - who is none other than Robert W. Cook, labeled “Director of FinRA” and “Chairman of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FinRA).”

(Needless to say, it's a dangerous world. BE CAREFUL!)