Paste any investment pitch, ad, email, or pitch deck. Our forensic engine scans it against the Barry Minkow 3-Class Fraud Framework — built on real SEC enforcement cases — and returns a plain-English 1–10 risk score with the exact evidence from your pitch that triggered each flag.
Score: 2 — guarantees returns (disqualifying) and mass Facebook ads + no PPM.
You don't need to know anything about fraud investigation. Just bring the pitch — we do the rest.
Drop in the email, ad copy, WhatsApp message, or upload the pitch deck / PPM as PDF, Word, or image.
Our forensic engine reads it like a fraud investigator — checking all 21 Minkow flag patterns (Class A Disqualifying, Class B Serious, Class C Contextual) against real SEC cases.
A 1–10 risk score, the specific flags found with evidence quotes, the one-sentence explanation, and plain-English advice on what to do next.
Paste any investment material below. The more context you include, the more accurate the analysis.
Processed securely. We do not save your text.
Paste a pitch on the left and hit Analyze. You'll get a 0–100 risk score, the exact red flags found, and what to do next.
Checking 21 Minkow fraud patterns.
Click a sample to load it into the analyzer, then hit Analyze.
21 fraud flags organized into three severity classes. Class A is disqualifying — any single hit caps the score at 3. Class B is serious — two hits cap at 6. Class C is contextual — each deducts 1 point. Built from real SEC enforcement cases.
The quick check above is just the start. The full Barry Minkow Due Diligence Platform gives investigators, attorneys, and sophisticated investors a complete forensic toolkit.
Full 5-stage forensic AI pipeline: Ingest → Extract → Compare → Rank Evidence → Report. Explainable risk scores, source gap routing, capital flow reconstruction, and cross-case pattern memory.
Open IIEFull CRUD case management. Log every investigation with status, risk level, sponsor details, and linked evidence. Filter by risk level, asset type, and status.
Open ManagerAnalyze any investment ad text against 18 fraud-pattern rules. Real annotated examples from NRIA, Harbor City, Yield Capital, and more. Anatomy of a fraud ad with 6 psychological tactics.
Open Ad WatchLog every ad, email, and webinar for any sponsor. Tracks urgency language, retargeting, and ad counts. Auto-computes Pressure Level and scores Flag #19 automatically.
Open TrackerMap every offering a sponsor has ever run. Detect suspiciously short gaps between fund closes and new launches — the hallmark of perpetual fundraising / deal churn (Flag #20).
Open TimelineTrack SEC EDGAR, FINRA BrokerCheck, county recorder, PACER, and title results. One-click 8-section agency-specific referral reports for SEC, FBI, DHS/HSI, FDIC, FINRA, and State regulators.
Open Records
Barry Minkow is a former convicted fraudster who orchestrated the ZZZZ Best carpet-cleaning Ponzi scheme in the 1980s, defrauding investors of over $100 million. After serving nearly 8 years in federal prison, he became one of America's most recognized fraud investigators, working as an FBI consultant and expert witness in SEC enforcement actions.
His 21-Flag Red Flag Methodology is a systematic framework for evaluating private placement offerings for signs of fraud, excessive risk, and structural weakness. Each flag is drawn from patterns observed across dozens of real investment fraud cases — including NRIA, Harbor City Capital, Yield Capital, ZZZZ Best, and more.
InvestSafe Pro™ has fully encoded the Minkow 21-Flag framework into a deterministic 1–10 scoring engine, with each flag assigned a severity class (A/B/C), evidence tier, and specific document citations drawn from real SEC enforcement cases — making it the most complete computerized implementation of the methodology available to individual investors.
Publicly available analyses scored through the Minkow 1–10 3-Class framework. Same pitch = same score, always.
Principal: Stuart Fox · Orem, UT
Sponsored Facebook ads promising "18% FIXED ANNUAL INTEREST RETURNS." 2 Class A disqualifying flags. No Form D, no audited financials. SEC TCR #17170-540-879-992 filed May 29, 2024.
Co-founders: Dr. Vikram Raya & Dr. Ravi Gupta · Vienna, VA
Claimed $718M AUM / 4,842 units — but title records show $538M debt vs $419M assets = ($119M) negative equity while advertising "1.5x debt coverage." 4+ properties falsely claimed (owned by Ashcroft Capital). 3 SEC TCRs filed. 7 properties with $2.09M+ unpaid taxes.
Principals: F. Richard Webster & Bill Norman Johnston · Maitland, FL
Claimed $200M AUM / 6,500 units — but $249M total debt creates ~($49M) negative equity, making 1.5×–2.0× equity multiples mathematically impossible. False principal co-investment claim disproved by notarized loan docs. Arete Wealth Management (SEC-charged broker-dealer) sold 6 offerings. Principal Webster: criminal conviction on record.
CEO: Jared Yellin · BVI Co. No. 2185664 · FX & Precious Metals
Claims ~9.7% avg monthly → ~141% annualized return with "extremely minimal volatility" — a Class A Irrational Ratio. "Four-year audited track record" is ISRS 4400 Agreed-Upon Procedures (NOT a GAAP audit). CEO Yellin: federal lawsuit DILL v. YELLIN (D.N.J. 22-6116). CEA §2(c)(2) violation: unlicensed off-exchange retail forex for US persons. Clause 21 waives all US court jurisdiction. Triple BVI offshore structure.
Founders: Frank Roessler & Joe Fairless · Multifamily Real Estate PE · New York, NY
$99.5M paid for Anthem Mesquite (Jun 10, 2022) → $58M sworn agreed judgment 49 days later — same 10 H5 TIC entities, same counsel — $41.5M (41.7%) sworn value gap. $365.6M Rialto cross-collateralized bridge loan (DBRS AAA-rated, FS Rialto 2022-FL6) across 5 properties; lender-led sale in progress Jan 2026. Future advance covenants in notarized mortgage docs if exercised = avg LTV ~130%+ vs. ≤80% promised. Instagram "25.6% Annualized Cash-on-Cash Returns" mass advertising triggers Reg D 506(b) general solicitation prohibition.
Founders: Ryan James Gibson & Jackie Gibson · Self-Storage PE · Golden, CO
TxDOT Title Contradiction (Smoking Gun): 2803 & 2707 Shiloh Rd, Tyler TX — both owned by Texas Transportation Commission (Austin TX), NOT Tyler/Longview Portfolio LLC. 7 total portfolio properties confirmed not owned by Spartan entities. "CONSISTENT MONTHLY CASH FLOW" near-guarantee framing (Class A-2). $60M Rule 506(c) Debt Fund, Wyoming LLC — Chase Bank Ardsley NY Acct 926013019. NDA Jan 9, 2026 (DocuSign C4EFC07D) between Barry Minkow and Spartan. SEC TCR #17484-734-397-818 filed; DHS letter to SA Kevin Knipp, May 28, 2025. 30+ FreeUp Storage LLC network under PO Box 17120, Golden CO.
Principal: Brian Timothy Sullivan · Self-Storage Fund · Rockwall, TX
CubeSmart False Halo (Smoking Gun): Facebook ads prominently display NYSE: CUBE CubeSmart logo and "CubeSmart-operated facilities" — 14 county title records show zero CubeSmart ownership across TX/FL/KS. 18.2% Target IRR (Buffett-Shame Zone). 8% Preferred Return near-guarantee. Mass Facebook advertising — 360+ likes, public Reg D solicitation. 27 Reg D filings (18 PGC-specific). $557,050+ unpaid property taxes across 6 properties. Sullivan: Criminal conviction, bankruptcy, WA State C&D 2009, Iowa C&D, City of Fort Worth tax lawsuit 2026. SEC TCR #17812-228-558-202 filed June 11, 2026.
Every report applies the full Barry Minkow 21-flag framework — public records, SEC EDGAR, county title searches, and regulatory history — delivered as a clear Minkow 1–10 score with a documented evidence chain.
Access your investigation orders, download reports, and manage your profile — no password required.
Thousands of investors lose money to preventable fraud every year. The Barry Minkow 1–10 framework catches the warning signs before you wire your money — with a score you can explain in one sentence.