Which unethical practice involves misleading sales tactics to attract investors?

Securities fraud involves misleading practices specifically in the context of financial investments, including the sale of stocks and other securities. This type of fraud can manifest in various ways, such as providing false information about a company's financial health or using deceptive sales tactics to lure investors into making uninformed decisions. The objective is often to manipulate the market or inflate the value of a security, thus attracting more funds under false pretenses. This practice undermines the integrity of financial markets and can lead to significant losses for investors who are misled.

Insider trading, while also unethical, pertains to the buying or selling of securities based on non-public, material information, which is different from using misleading tactics to attract investors. Price gouging refers to the practice of significantly increasing prices for essential goods during emergencies, which does not relate directly to misleading sales tactics in investment scenarios. False advertising is concerned with misrepresenting a product's qualities or benefits to consumers, but again, it doesn't specifically target investment practices or investor manipulation in financial markets. Therefore, securities fraud is the most fitting choice as it encompasses the misleading nature of sales tactics aimed at investors.