Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE)

Unregistered Soliciting Entities

These are entities that falsely claim to be registered, licensed, and/or located in the United States in their solicitation of investors.

In many cases, SEC investigation reveals that the soliciting entities are not registered in the United States as they claim or imply. In an effort to warn the public about these entities, the SEC is publishing information it has learned in reviewing these complaints.

For each of the entities listed, the SEC has determined that there is no US registered securities firm with this name. Where applicable, the "Note" section for each entity provides additional relevant information we have learned. The SEC will regularly update this list.

Fictitious Regulators

These are entities that falsely claim to be a regulator, governmental agency, or international organization that do not exist.

In many cases, SEC investigation reveals that the so-called governmental agencies or international organizations claimed to have lent support to these solicitations do not exist. Where applicable, the "Note" section for each entity provides additional relevant information we have learned. The SEC will regularly update this list.

Impersonators of Genuine Firms

These are legitimate entities/firms whose information were wrongfully appropriated. This information may include legitimate entity’s name, address, registration number, and website likeness.

The information was wrongfully appropriated from publicly available databases such as EDGAR and FINRA’s BrokerCheck, and set up phony websites in order to confuse and deceive investors. In other cases, these “spoofer” entities have appropriated the registration information of legitimate firms that recently terminated their registration with the SEC and FINRA or did so years ago. Similarly, representatives of the impersonating entities who cold-call investors often claim to be licensed employees of the legitimate firms being impersonated or of other legitimate firms.

The SEC has determined that the impersonators have no connection with, and are not to be confused with, the genuine firms, whether active or defunct. The SEC will regularly update this list.