The forms of deception that can occur in commercial transactions are limited only by the imagination of a dishonest purveyor, with subtle half-truths capable of inflicting harm no less than outright lies. It is not possible to anticipate all the ways a bad actor can mislead others—especially in this age of virtual...

Large corporate enterprises have many protections and security procedures in place to guard against fraud (by both outsiders and insiders), as well as the balance sheet to tolerate occasional missteps. Small businesses and individual investors do not have the luxury of such protection, which is what often makes them more accessible targets...