I can tell you right now most cryptocurrencies are manipulated by the super rich playing with the press.
When it comes to ICOs most are indeed scams, you really need to look into the vesting and token structure to see if the owners can dump it after the ICO.
Also, the team and progress of the technology will help you understand its legitimacy.
Finally, if its based in the USA and registered as a security is probably legitimate, otherwise, there is nothing holding them back from scamming you.
Contributor: Chase Hughes from EquityUp.io and Vartheta.com