Illegal fund-raising is a criminal activity, which refers to the behavior that a unit or individual raises funds from the public by issuing stocks, bonds, lottery tickets, investment fund securities or other creditor's rights certificates without the approval of the relevant departments in accordance with legal procedures, and promises to repay the principal and interest to investors in cash, in kind or in other ways within a certain period of time.
Four characteristics of illegal fund-raising:
1, without the approval of relevant departments according to law, including fund-raising without the approval of departments with approval authority; The department with the power of examination and approval ultra vires to approve fund-raising, that is, the fund-raiser does not have the qualification of fund-raising subject.
2. Promise to repay the principal and interest to investors within a certain period of time. In addition to monetary forms, there are also physical forms and other forms of debt service.
3. Raise funds from unspecified social objects. The "unspecified object" here refers to the public, not a specific minority.
4. Cover up the essence of illegal fund-raising in a legal form. In order to cover up their illegal purposes, criminals often sign contracts with investors (victims) and pretend to be normal production and business activities in order to maximize their ultimate goal of defrauding funds.
If you encounter illegal fund-raising, don't panic first. The parties can report the case immediately. When the rights and interests of the parties are infringed, they can safeguard their legitimate rights and interests through legal channels. If necessary, criminal lawyers can be invited to intervene.