I find I either get poor quality leads or outright scams.

They are really running a Ponzi Scam, and I don't know how long before they get caught.   

Now, don't get me wrong - CA definitely has its issues, but it's not like every block in CA is full of drug addicted sidewalk pooping landlord scamming thieves.

It is possible the largest investment shift in the last 395 years is some kind of tulip scam and there are elements to compare to that, however we are not talking toys or flowers in this case.

Here is a link to the pitch: https://tripleuprealestate.com/Affordable_HousingF.pdfWell, @Phil Matheney, you asked...Your 'Unique Real Estate Program' is a scam and has no business on BiggerPockets or in the real estate investing community.

They immediately believe they’ve been defrauded, which of course MAY be true as a lot of these investment deals are scams from day one.  

The guy in the article was running an exchange, sort of like a bank, and he was also connected to another earlier huge exchange scam.

There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  

How does one go about making sure that a company is legit and not just a shell or scam?

So everything you can do to avoid a scam or a shady character is worth something.