Someone can borrow a real broker’s name, a firm’s logo, registration details, phone number—or even a convincing voice or video. That does not make the person contacting you genuine. Before replying, sharing information, or sending money, verify the professional and the contact route separately using details you find independently.
This guidance is for individual investors in the United States. Lookup tools and reporting channels differ in other countries.
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How can I tell if an investment professional is real?
Check whether the person and firm appear in the appropriate official records, then contact the firm using information you locate independently. Those are separate checks: a real professional’s registration does not authenticate a particular email, call, text, social profile, or chat.
| What to verify | Where to check independently | What the check can—and cannot—tell you |
|---|---|---|
| The professional or firm | Investor.gov’s professional search | Helps you assess whether a person or firm appears in official records; it does not prove that a message came from them. |
| A broker | FINRA BrokerCheck | Lets you compare a broker’s identity and record with the claims made to you; matching registration details do not authenticate the sender. |
| An investment adviser | The SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure resource | Helps you check adviser information; it does not establish that an unsolicited contact is genuine. |
| The firm’s contact route | The firm’s genuine Form CRS, located through Investor.gov | Provides firm contact information you can use to verify an approach. Do not use contact details supplied by the person who approached you. |
Compare names and other details against those independent records. Do not treat a screenshot, PDF, link, caller ID, or social profile sent by the solicitor as proof. If the details or contact route do not check out, stop and contact the firm through its independently located information.
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How do impersonators make an approach look convincing?
They may copy a real firm’s name, logo, website, social accounts, employee details, or registration information. They may spoof a firm’s phone number so caller ID looks familiar, or steer a conversation to a messaging app or an unrelated email address. The joint SEC and FBI investor alert of December 11, 2024, also warned that fraudsters may use voice-changing tools, cloned voices, and AI-generated images or deepfake video.
Some impersonators encourage you to look up the real professional they are pretending to be. Finding that professional in a registry is not the end of the check: verify the contact route separately by calling the firm at a number you found yourself.
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The SEC’s September 30, 2025 alert described impersonators who contact people through social media or text, solicit stock tips, request advance fees, or claim they can recover money. A copied SEC seal, a link to a real SEC page, or a real official’s name or image can all be used in a fraudulent approach. The SEC, NASAA, and FINRA have also warned about investment fraud that claims to use AI. Treat apparent familiarity, realistic media, and official-looking material as claims to verify—not proof of identity.
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- Urgency or supposedly guaranteed returns. Pressure to commit quickly and claims that minimize risk are red flags. The FTC’s investment-scam guidance puts it plainly: “There are no guaranteed returns.”
- A communication route you cannot verify. Be cautious if the person insists on WhatsApp, Telegram, an unrelated email address, or a social profile as the only way to communicate—or refuses to speak through the firm’s independently verified contacts.
- Unusual payment directions. FINRA warns about requests to pay an individual or third party instead of the firm, or to use gift cards or cryptocurrency to fund a securities investment.
- Requests for access information or an upfront payment. Be skeptical of anyone claiming to be from the SEC who asks for account numbers, PINs, passwords, digital addresses, or other details that could give access to financial accounts. A supposed regulator asking for an advance payment to release or recover funds is another warning sign.
- Copied credentials or realistic media offered as proof. A genuine name, registration number, logo, SEC link, voice, or video does not establish who is currently contacting you.
What should I do before considering the investment?
- Pause. Do not send money or personal information while the identity and offer remain unverified. Resist pressure to act immediately.
- Find the professional and firm yourself. Go to Investor.gov and search for them. Locate the firm’s Form CRS there rather than opening a link supplied by the solicitor.
- Compare official records. Check Investor.gov, FINRA BrokerCheck for a broker, or the SEC adviser database for an investment adviser, as appropriate. Compare the information with what the person told you.
- Call or visit the firm using independently found details. Ask whether the person contacted you and whether the proposed offer or payment instructions are genuine. Do not rely on incoming caller ID or details in the suspicious message.
- Assess the offer separately. Do not rely only on the solicitor’s claims or online reviews. The FTC advises checking claims independently and treating guaranteed returns or minimized risk as red flags. A filing with the SEC, by itself, does not prove that a person or firm is registered.
Where do I report an investment scam?
If you suspect an impersonator, stop responding and do not use contact details in the suspicious message. Preserve messages and payment records. If a firm or professional is involved, contact the genuine firm independently. Choose reporting channels that fit what happened:
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- Suspected securities fraud or SEC impersonation: submit a complaint through the SEC’s investor complaint channel.
- Information about possible securities misconduct: send a regulatory tip to FINRA.
- Online crime: report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- Fraud or deceptive business practices: report it to the FTC through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- State-level securities concerns: contact your state securities regulator.
- Misused personal information: use the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov for recovery steps.
Do not pay a new “tax,” “release fee,” or “recovery fee” to someone who promises to unlock funds or recover losses. Investor.gov warns that advance-fee demands and fake recovery offers can be part of related scams.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do the reported loss figures mean?
The FTC reported that consumers reported $4.6 billion in losses to investment scams in 2023, more than for any other category covered in its 2024 consumer alert. That figure covers investment scams; it is not a count of impersonation cases alone. Separately, the FTC reported $3.5 billion in losses to imposter scams in 2025 in 2026. That broader category includes imposters beyond investment-related approaches, so it should not be read as investment-impersonation losses.
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