HOW TO CHECK THE COMPANY BEFORE INVESTING?
1) CALL RECEIVED?
If you have received a call or email from someone you don’t know offering you a significant investment, business, trading opportunity, be very cautious. The caller may be a scammer attempting to take your money. Frauds arise from companies operating overseas. People lose millions of dollars every year to scams, and you do not want to be the next scapegoat.
Protect yourself by checking this list of companies and individuals that are not licensed by CFTC, FCA, ASIC, and other regulatory bodies. If the company that called you is not on the regulated companies list, do not deal with them.
2) CHECK FOR COMPANY LICENSE
If you have been contacted by an investment company or have received a business offer, then check for the company before investing.
If the company or person is not licensed, this means they are unregulated, we highly recommend you not to deal with them and report them accordingly. Informing about them allows regulatory bodies to warn others and take legal actions against these tricksters.
Remember that most overseas businesses are selling foreign investments to you usually require a license; there are a few exceptions.
3) CHECK OVERSEAS LIST
Abroad companies can be regulated by the securities commission in their own country. You can check who controls them outside your country by going to the IOSCO (International Organization of Securities Commissions) website. Then you can contact the appropriate overseas regulator or search its site to ensure that a company of that name is registered or licensed by them.
You can also check IOSCO’s investor alerts where you can search for overseas companies that are not authorized to provide investment services in the country that has issued the warning.
LIST OF REAL FINANCIAL REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS
COUNTRY | AUTHORITY | ABBR |
---|---|---|
Argentina | The Stock Market National Committee | CNV |
Australia | Australian Securities and Investments Commission | ASIC |
Australia | APRA - Australian Prudential Regulation Authority | APRA |
Australia | AUSTRAC - Australian Transaction Report and Analysis Centre | AUSTRAC |
Austria | Financial Market Authority | FMA |
Bahamas | SCB - securities Commission of The Bahamas | SCB |
Bahamas | Securities Commission of The Bahamas | SCB (BS) |
Bahrain | Central Bank of Bahrain | CBB |
Belgium | Financial Services and Markets Authority | FSMA |
Belize | International Financial Services Commission | IFSC |
Botswana | (NBFIRA) Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority | NBFIRA |
Brazil | Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil | CVM |
British Virgin Islands | Financial Services Commission | FSC |
Bulgaria | Bulgarian National Bank | BNB |
Canada | Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada | IIROC |
Canada | CIPF (Canadian Investor Protection Fund) | CIPF |
Cayman Islands | Cayman Islands Monetary Authority | CIMA |
China | China Securities Regulatory Commission | CSRC |
China | Financial Supervisory Commission | FSCEY |
Croatia | Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency | HANFA |
Cyprus | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission | CySEC |
Czech Republic | Czech National Bank | CNB |
Denmark | Financial Supervision Authority | DFSA |
Egypt | Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority | EFSA |
Estonia | Financial Supervision Authority | FSAEE |
Estonia | Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications | MKM |
Finland | Financial Supervision Authority | FINFSA |
France | Financial Markets Authority | AMF |
France | Credit Institutions and Investment Firms Committee | CECEI |
France | The Financial Firms Register | REGAFI |
France | The Prudential Control and Resolution Authority | ACPR |
Georgia | National Bank of Georgia | NBG |
Germany | Federal Financial Supervisory Authority | BaFin |
Gibraltar | Financial Services Commission | FSC |
Greece | Capital Markets Commission | CMC |
Hong Kong | The Securities and Futures Commission | SFC |
Hong Kong | The Financial Commission | FinCom |
Hungary | Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority | HFSA |
Hungary | Central Bank of Hungary | CBH |
India | Securities and Exchange Board of India | SEBI |
India | Central Depository Services Limited | CDSL |
India | National Securities Depository | NSDL |
Indonesia | Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency | CoFTRA |
Ireland | Central Bank of Ireland | CBI |
Israel | Israel Securities Authority | ISA |
Italy | National Commission for Companies and the Stock Exchange | CONSOB |
Jamaica | Financial Services Commission | FSC |
Japan | Japan Securities Dealers Association | JSDA |
Japan | Financial Services Agency | FSA |
Jordan | Jordan Securities Commission | JSC |
Kenya | Kenya Capital Markets Authority | CMA |
Kuwait | Kuwait Chamber of Commerce Industry | KCCI |
Latvia | Financial and Capital Market Commission | FCMC |
Lebanon | Central bank of Lebanon | BDL |
Lebanon | The Arab Federation of Exchanges | AFE |
Lithuania | Lithuanian Securities Commission | LSC |
Luxembourg | Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier | CSSF |
Malta | Malta Financial Services Authority | MFSA |
Mauritius | Financial Services Commission | FSC |
Mexico | Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores | CNBV |
Morocco | Moroccan Financial markets Authority | CDVM |
Netherlands | Financial Markets Authority | AFM |
New Zealand | Financial Service Providers Register | FSPR |
New Zealand | NZX | NZX |
New Zealand | Financial Dispute Resolution Service | FDRS |
Norway | The Financial Supervisory Authority Of Norway | NFSA |
Pakistan | Pakistan Securities and Exchange Commission | SEC |
Panama | Superintendence of Securities | SMV |
Philippines | Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission | SEC |
Poland | Polish Financial Supervision Authority | PFSA |
Portugal | Portuguese Securities Market Commission | CMVM |
Qatar | Qatar Central Bank | QCB |
Romania | Romanian National Securities Commission | CNVMR |
Russia | Federal Commission of Securities Market | FCSM |
Russia | Centre for Regulation in OTC Financial Instruments and Technologies | CRFIN |
Russia | Naufor - Russian national Association Of Securities Market Participants | Naufor |
Russia | Financial Market Relations Regulation Center | CROFR |
Russia | Central Bank of the Russian Federation | CBR |
Russia | Association of Russian Banks | ARB |
Russia | Association of Regional Banks of Russia | ASROS |
Russia | Center for Regulatory Relations in The Financial Markets | CROFR (ЦРОФР) |
Russia | Financial Market Relations Regulation Center | FMRRC |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Financial Services Authority | FSA |
Saudi Arabia | Capital Market Authority | CMA |
Singapore | Monetary Authority of Singapore | MAS |
South Africa | Financial Sector Conduct Authority | FSCA |
Spain | Spanish Securities Market Commission | CNMV |
Sri Lanka | Central Bank of Sri Lanka | CBSL |
Sri Lanka | Securities And Exchange commission of Sri Lanka | SEC |
Sweden | Financial Supervisory Authority | FSA |
Switzerland | Financial Market Supervisory Authority | FINMA |
Thailand | The Siam Commercial Bank Public Company | SCB |
Thailand | Bank Of Thailand | BOT |
Turkey | Capital Markets Board of Turkey | CMB [SPK] |
Ukraine | National Securities and Stock Market Commission | NSSMC |
Ukraine | Ukrainian Centre for OTC Financial Instruments and Technologies Development | UCRFIN |
United Arab Emirates | Dubai Financial Services Authority | DFSA |
United Arab Emirates | Central Bank of the U.A.E | U.A.E |
United Arab Emirates | Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority | SCA |
United Kingdom | The Financial Conduct Authority | FCA |
United States | U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission | CFTC |
United States | Financial Industry Regulatory Authority | FINRA |
United States | National Futures Association | NFA |
United States | Securities and Exchange Commission | SEC |
United States | Securities Investor Protection Corporation | SIPC |
United States | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | FDIC |
United States | Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act | FATCA |
Vanuatu | Vanuatu Financial Services Commission | VFSC |
LIST OF FAKE FINANCIAL REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS
S.NO | ORGANIZATION NAME |
---|---|
1 | Alliance Financial Regulatory Board |
2 | American Futures and Options Exchange |
3 | American Futures and Options Trading Commission (AFOTC) |
4 | Beacon Commodities and Futures Exchange (BCFX) |
5 | Beacon Hill Regulatory Trade Commission, The |
6 | Belgium Commodities and Futures Exchange (no longer works) |
7 | Board of Securities Trading Commission |
8 | Boston Mergers and Acquisitions Board |
9 | Bureau of Financial Services Board |
10 | Bureau of Financial Trading |
11 | Bureau of Foreign Security Affairs |
12 | Commission on Financial and Securities Compliance |
13 | Committee of Regulation and Liquidation on Private Ventures |
14 | Commodities Futures Trading Commission (Please note that this fake regulator should not be confused with the legitimate US regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission) |
15 | Commonwealth Regulatory Board |
16 | Department of Financial Trading |
17 | Department of Foreign Investment Control |
18 | Department of International Financial Trading |
19 | Department of Securities Trading |
20 | Duetsche Anstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (DAFIN) |
21 | East West Financial and Securities Compliance |
22 | Equities Trading Commission |
23 | European Futures Options Commission |
24 | Federal Assurance Regulatory Commission |
25 | Federal Mergers and Securities Board |
26 | Financial Assurance Regulatory Board |
27 | Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Belgium |
28 | Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Frankfurt (FSRAF) |
29 | Foreign Shareholders Protection Department |
30 | Forensic Financial Fraud Investigators |
31 | Frankfurt Financial Supervisory Authority |
32 | Futures Trading Standards Commission |
33 | Global Metal and Commodities Exchange |
34 | Global Regulatory Authority |
35 | Hong Kong Financial Services Authority |
36 | Hong Kong Financial Trading Authority (HKFTA) |
37 | Hong Kong Futures and Options Exchange (HKFOX) |
38 | Integrated Financial Regulatory Board |
39 | Inter-global Financial Regulatory Board |
40 | International Association of Transfer Agents |
41 | International Compliance Commission |
42 | International Equity Commission |
43 | International Exchange Regulatory Commission |
44 | International Offshore Financial Markets Regulators (IOFMR) |
45 | International Organization of Securities Commission |
46 | International Regulatory Commission |
47 | International Securities Tax Commission |
48 | International Shareholder Agency |
49 | Japan Futures Trading Fund (JFTB) |
50 | Japan Options and Futures Trading Board |
51 | National Compliance Regulatory Board |
52 | National Mergers and Acquisitions Board |
53 | National Shareholder Protection Agency |
54 | Office of Financial Affairs |
55 | Offshore Commodity Futures Dealers Association (OCFDA) |
56 | Offshore Futures Securities Association |
57 | Offshore Investors Protection Association |
58 | Options and Futures Trade Commission |
59 | Overseas Holding Compensation Commission |
60 | Plutus Private Equity LLC |
61 | Prudential Regulatory Board |
62 | Regional Regulatory Board |
63 | Regulatory Association Of Offshore Investment Managers |
64 | Regulatory Compliance Commission |
65 | Securities Regulatory Commission |
66 | Securities Regulatory and Investment Board |
67 | Sicfex Swiss International Commodities Futures Exchange |
68 | Swiss Commodities Futures Exchange |
69 | Thompson Brennan Stanley |
70 | Transfer Exchange Corporation |
71 | The Futures Exchange Securities Regulator |
72 | The International Board of Trade Commission |
73 | The International Regulatory Panel of Trade |
74 | United Kingdom Commodity Derivatives Association |
75 | United Kingdom Managed Futures Association |
76 | United States Trading Commission - no address or website |
77 | US Securities Investigative Committee |
78 | US Stock Regulators |
79 | World Options Exchange |
80 | World Trade Commodities Exchange |
81 | Worldwide Securities Investment Comission |