The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently upgraded its Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE) website adding 25 soliciting entities and four false regulators and enhancing its accessibility for Main Street investors.
Created to protect retail investors from soliciting entities that fraudulently claim to be registered or licensed with the SEC or located in the United States, the PAUSE website is a compilation of information the SEC has collected from complaints submitted by investors, foreign regulators or others. After following up on the complaints, the SEC has determined that the listed entities have inaccurate information about their affiliation, registration, or location; however, inclusion on the website does not mean the entities have violated securities laws.
The site provides updated descriptions, educational materials, and improved search capabilities and has now been enhanced to be more user friendly. Now, Main Street investors may search and sort the unregistered soliciting entities by three categories, unregistered soliciting entities, fictitious regulators, and impersonators of genuine firms.
Investors will also find a wealth of educational information and resources to avoid falling victim to fraudulent firms or regulators, including information on conducting due diligence on firms and investments as well as different types of fraud.
Read the full Press Release or visit the revised PAUSE website.