well as schemers. It is somewhat common practice for commingling and misappropriation to occur in construction and real estate proceedings. We had an employee who managed some properties for us who embezzled around 5000 before being fired, but used the economic downturn as an excuse to commingle and misappropriate. We had someone else who did the same thing for around 15-20000. We have very good bookkeepers and accountants and so the shortfalls were discovered within a few months. I have a hard time believing that someone who is intimately involved in the upper echelons of management could be so clueless of wrongdoing unless he was specifially chosen as the patsy and was so stupid when it comes to business that he should have been questioning why he was employed with the title he was when he did not merit it in any way, shape, or form.

I understand this was in Australia, but for some reason LDS fall prey to these types of schemes--both as perpetrators and as victims. I've got several friends in the Utah area who have fallen victim to them before asking me what I thought. One even gave his social security number to be used and was then paid a premium. Some things to remember--if it sounds illegal, it probably is and was made that way for your protection. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If someone is promising outsized returns in perpetuity, it's a scam--outsized being greater than 12%. I have had deals generate an infinite return, but they are very dificult to find and don't come up very often in real estate or the stock market. There have been some trades that generate huge profits, but they are very sophisticated and could just as easily go south (see Paulson's big short). Warren Buffet has returned I believe an average of 22%. Anything over 12 is very difficult to do on a consistent basis. If anyone guarantees it, it is a ponzi scheme and you stand to lose everything. There is a reason people know who Buffet is. If people can do it consistently, they don't want or need your money to do it. Before listening to a guru or giving money to an investor, particularly in real estate, check them out. Google them and check John T. Reed's website. Ask uninterested third parties about the scheme and have it evaluated by a lawyer. Get three years tax returns as well as full financials and have them be evaluated by an accountant.