Investor Alert: Government Impersonators

Investor Alert: Government Impersonators- from the US Securities and Exchange Commission

According to the SEC, there are a number of ongoing investment scams in which con artists have used the names of real SEC employees to trick victims, including non-U.S. investors, into giving the fraudsters access to their brokerage accounts, revealing private information, and even sending the perpetrators money and other assets. Impersonation of U.S. Government agencies and employees (as well as of legitimate financial services entities) is one of several characteristic features of advance fee fraud solicitations and other fraudulent schemes. Even where the fraudsters do not request that funds be sent directly to them, they may use the personal information they obtain to steal the individual’s identity and then misappropriate his or her financial assets.

Characteristic of some advance fee fraud solicitations and other fraudulent schemes to deceive and defraud unwary investors is the use of websites and e-mail addresses ending in “.us” or “.org” and containing “.gov” as part of the domain address. There should not be a U.S. government agency that has a website or e-mail address that ENDS in anything other than “.gov”, “.mil”, or “fed.us”. Accordingly, investors should beware any website or correspondence purporting to be from a U.S. government agency bearing an e-mail address that does not end in “.gov”, “.mil”, or “fed.us”.

The SEC does not endorse investment offers, assist in the purchase or sales of securities, or participate in money transfers. Also, SEC staff do not make unsolicited communications, including emails or phone calls, asking for detailed personal and financial information, such as shareholdings and PIN numbers. The SEC will not, for example, contact individuals by telephone or email for purposes of:

seeking assistance with a fund transfer;

forwarding investment offers to them;

advising individuals that they own certain securities;

telling investors that they are eligible to receive disbursements from an investor claims fund or class action settlement; or

offering grants or other financial assistance (especially for an upfront fee).

If you receive a call or email from someone claiming to be from the SEC (or another government agency), always verify the person’s identity. Use the SEC’s personnel locator, (202) 551-6000, to verify whether the caller is an SEC staff member and to speak with him or her directly. You can also call the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 for general information, including information about SEC enforcement actions and any investor claims funds. You also can ask whether the person calling you is employed by the SEC and request to speak with the staff member’s supervisor if there is such an employee. Finally, if you have been contacted by someone misrepresenting himself as an SEC staff member, please let them know by either calling us or submitting a Complaint Form.

This information is provided by The White Law Group, a national securities fraud, securities arbitration, and investor protection law firm with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Vero Beach, Florida.

For more information on The White Law Group, visit http://whitesecuritieslaw.com.