US SEC Warns Public Against Regulator Impersonators

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published an announcement, urging the public's caution against fraudsters presenting themselves as SEC staff to perform a fraud or other criminal acts through phone calls, voicemails, emails, and letters.

According to the regulator, several individuals recently received phone calls or voicemail messages that appeared to be from an SEC phone number. The calls and messages raised purported concerns about unauthorized transactions or other suspicious activity in the recipients' checking or cryptocurrency accounts.

"These phone calls and voicemail messages are in no way connected to the SEC. If you receive a communication that appears to be from the SEC, do not provide any personal information unless you have verified that you are dealing with the SEC. The SEC does not seek money from any person or entity as a penalty or disgorgement for alleged wrongdoing outside of its formal Enforcement process,"the supervisory agency stated.

The US agency highlighted that SEC staff do not make unsolicited communications – including phone calls, voicemail messages, or emails – asking for payments related to enforcement actions, offering to confirm trades, or seeking detailed personal and financial information.

"Be skeptical if you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the SEC and asking about your shareholdings, account numbers, PIN numbers, passwords, or other information that may be used to access your financial accounts,"the SEC added.