The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned US investors against criminals posing as SEC officials through phone calls and messages, in order to obtain sensitive financial information from recipients.
According to the SEC, criminals have contacted multiple individuals regarding unauthorized transactions or other suspicious activity on recipients' checking or cryptocurrency accounts.
“These phone calls and voicemail messages are in no way related 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 warned in an alert.
The Comparison needs you!We take a look at how our readers are using VPNs with streaming sites like Netflix so we can improve our content and offer better advice. This survey will take no more than 60 seconds of your time and we would greatly appreciate your sharing your experiences with us.
>> Click here to start the survey in a new window
Play the fool
The alert was issued by the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Defense (IAEA), which is the SEC department that helps individual investors protect themselves against securities fraud.
The IAEA cautions investors to be skeptical when they are contacted by someone claiming to be from the SEC asking for details of holdings, account numbers, PINs or passwords - other information that can be used to access their financial accounts.
“Identity theft from US government agencies and employees (as well as legitimate financial services entities) is a common feature of prepayment requests and other fraudulent schemes. Even when scammers do not request funds to be sent directly to them, they can use the personal information they obtain to steal a person's identity or misappropriate their financial assets, ”the SEC explains.
While the IAEA alert is specific to fraud perpetrated on behalf of the SEC, its advice is useful to people around the world. Recipients should always adopt a questioning attitude towards individuals requesting confidential financial information, especially when they claim to be representatives of organizations like the SEC.
Make sure to protect yourself online with these best identity theft protection services