The Security and Exchange Commission last Friday alerted of fraudulent impersonators of the regulator contacting people.
The SEC stated that several people were recently contacted through phone calls or voicemail messages, which appeared to come from an SEC phone number.
The fraudsters are contacting individuals via phone calls, voicemails, emails and letters, pretending to speak on behalf of the regulator, raising concerns about unauthorized transactions or other suspicious activity in the recipients’ checking or cryptocurrency accounts.
The SEC stated in its official alert:
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 US regulator clarified that it does not make unsolicited communications and it does not ask for payments related to enforcement actions, offer to confirm trades, or seek detailed personal and financial information.
The regulator said:
Again, never provide information to someone claiming to be from the SEC until you have verified that the person actually works for the SEC.
The CySEC has also suffered from fraudulent impersonation. Earlier this year, the Cypriot regulator warned against widespread impersonations of officers or representatives soliciting investors to pay fees to settle false claims.
