Ms. Bricken, This article was pure gold. Not only are you spot on with warning signs for pump and dumps, crypto, and especially burner licenses – you have identified a couple of items I had not been aware of regarding crowdfunding and banking (and/or merchant) services. When you referenced cannabis businesses looking for some form of financial relief in the bank fraud context, I hadn’t thought about the check fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit a felony (insert felony here) and other possible criminal liabilities such as accessory, accessory after-the-fact, and / or conspiracy charges that the DOJ (or states) could level at offenders. One of my designated tasks is vetting – new clients, new vendors/service providers, and new employees. ESPECIALLY in cannabis – for flower-touching entities, I leave no stone unturned. Due Dilligence, as you mentioned, especially in a bank fraud and/or in a BSA/AML context, is something I take quite seriously. Staying current is a weekly activity, determining which banks are or are not working with cannabis, and/or CBD-only. (FYI, Chase now does service CBD-only companies.) Banking fraud is no joke, and I frequently am solicited by so-called merchant services providers. I’ve become reluctant to give them time, as I’ve heard of all the “solutions,” and don’t have time to waste on half-hour pitches on wholesale referral programs, which have a good chance of being fradulent (or excessively negligent). Keep up the good work on the Canna Law Blog, I appreciate the insights and current events from a legal perspective. Reply