What should I look for to avoid investment scams or pitfalls?

It meant it was a scam.

Those who think they can go it alone or under some scamming guru, well, they are probably the same ones who would represent themselves in their own murder trial, the audacity on this site is unbelievable.Beware of the gurus, they will be coming out of the woodwork with schemes and deceiving information, in fact some already have.You're right, thanks to open forums, information here is a real mess. :)

What a SCAM!" 

They are scam artists.

@Dylan Griffis I’ve paid $7,000 & $8,000 for “mentoring” programs both of which have been scams.

I was mindlessly scrolling Facebook shortly after this and saw a friend from HS (who was not the best kid nor the most intelligent) accepting an invite to an event called "How to make $50k in a month" and I figured it was the biggest scam ever.

It’s a scam.  

I highly doubt both parties will try scamming each other.I say go for it

We are eager to help relative avoid being scammed as she is elderly and lacking awareness of processes not being a US citizen.