How to file an SEC complaint
- Go to the SEC's Tips, Complaints and Referrals portal.
- Choose the option for reporting possible securities law violations.
- Describe what happened: the names of the people and entities, the investment's legal name, dates and amounts, and what you were told that turned out to be false.
- Attach copies of key documents (keep originals).
- Save your submission number.
For questions, the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy can be reached at 800-732-0330. The SEC generally won't tell you whether it is investigating, and it doesn't represent individual investors.
SEC whistleblower complaints
If you have original information about a violation, such as being a former employee or sales agent of a pre-IPO operation, the SEC whistleblower program may pay awards of 10% to 30% of sanctions collected in actions over $1 million. Submit through the same portal and consider consulting a whistleblower attorney first.
How to report pre-IPO fraud: every agency
| Agency | Report here for | How |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | Fraud, unregistered offerings, unregistered brokers and advisers, whistleblower tips | sec.gov/submit-tip-or-complaint |
| FINRA | Brokerage firms and registered reps | Investor Complaint Center · Seniors: 844-57-HELPS (844-574-3577) |
| State securities regulator | Unregistered sellers, state-law violations, fast local action | See directory below or NASAA |
| FBI IC3 | Online fraud, overseas wires, crypto | ic3.gov |
| NY Attorney General, Investor Protection Bureau | New York sellers or investors (Martin Act) | ag.ny.gov · (212) 416-8222 |
How to report a fraudulent private placement
Report to the SEC and your state regulator, and include the Form D (from EDGAR) if you can find it, the PPM, and the specific statements you believe were false.
State securities regulator directory
Each link opens the regulator's official contact listing on NASAA's website.
| State | Securities regulator | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Securities Commission | NASAA listing |
| Alaska | Division of Banking and Securities | NASAA listing |
| Arizona | Arizona Corporation Commission, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Securities Department | NASAA listing |
| California | Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) | NASAA listing |
| Colorado | Colorado Division of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Connecticut | Department of Banking, Securities and Business Investments Division | NASAA listing |
| Delaware | Department of Justice, Investor Protection Unit | NASAA listing |
| District of Columbia | Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking | NASAA listing |
| Florida | Office of Financial Regulation | NASAA listing |
| Georgia | Secretary of State, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Hawaii | Dept. of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Securities Enforcement Branch | NASAA listing |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Finance | NASAA listing |
| Illinois | Secretary of State, Securities Department | NASAA listing |
| Indiana | Secretary of State, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Iowa | Iowa Insurance Division, Securities Bureau | NASAA listing |
| Kansas | Office of the Securities Commissioner (Kansas Insurance Department) | NASAA listing |
| Kentucky | Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Louisiana | Office of Financial Institutions, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Maine | Office of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Maryland | Office of the Attorney General, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Massachusetts | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Michigan | Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau (LARA) | NASAA listing |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Commerce | NASAA listing |
| Mississippi | Secretary of State, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Missouri | Secretary of State, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Montana | Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (State Auditor) | NASAA listing |
| Nebraska | Department of Banking and Finance, Bureau of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Nevada | Secretary of State, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| New Hampshire | Bureau of Securities Regulation | NASAA listing |
| New Jersey | Bureau of Securities | NASAA listing |
| New Mexico | Regulation and Licensing Department, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| New York | Office of the Attorney General, Investor Protection Bureau | NASAA listing |
| North Carolina | Secretary of State, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Securities Department | NASAA listing |
| Ohio | Department of Commerce, Division of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Department of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Oregon | Division of Financial Regulation | NASAA listing |
| Pennsylvania | Department of Banking and Securities | NASAA listing |
| Rhode Island | Department of Business Regulation, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| South Carolina | Office of the Attorney General, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| South Dakota | Department of Labor and Regulation, Division of Insurance (Securities) | NASAA listing |
| Tennessee | Department of Commerce and Insurance, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Texas | Texas State Securities Board | NASAA listing |
| Utah | Utah Division of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Vermont | Department of Financial Regulation, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| Virginia | State Corporation Commission, Division of Securities and Retail Franchising | NASAA listing |
| Washington | Department of Financial Institutions, Securities Division | NASAA listing |
| West Virginia | State Auditor, Securities Commission | NASAA listing |
| Wisconsin | Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Securities | NASAA listing |
| Wyoming | Secretary of State, Compliance Division | NASAA listing |
| Puerto Rico | Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF) | NASAA listing |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Division of Banking, Insurance and Financial Regulation | NASAA listing |