1.   A former businessman has gone on trial accused of a two million pound investment fraud.

2.   Although the extent of investment fraud is unknown, regulators say anecdotal evidence indicates it is on the upsurge in recent years.

3.   And he has cracked down on Internet investment fraud, dispatching his new cyberforce of Internet regulators against stock touts and illegal securities offerings.

4.   But the growing sophistication of investment fraud makes it more difficult to spot scams before you lose your money.

5.   Dallas is currently serving a five-year state prison sentence after being convicted in an unrelated case of investment fraud in San Mateo County, Calif.

6.   Levitt said the SEC is seeing many victims of investment fraud who share a language or cultural belief, which a broker uses to gain their confidence.

7.   Regulators also have started filing charges for Internet investment fraud during the last seven months.

8.   Since the collapse of communism, many former communist states have fallen victim to investment frauds that lure money from citizens with promises of high returns.

9.   The complaint filed Thursday charges Bond with six counts of securities fraud and three counts of investment advisory fraud.