Impersonators may falsely claim to be affiliated with the SEC (or another federal government agency) in an attempt to steal your personal information or your money. Federal government agencies, including the SEC, do not endorse or sponsor any particular securities, issuers, products, services, professional credentials, firms, or individuals.
Fraudsters may use the names of real SEC employees to trick you into providing personal information such as your social security number, financial account information, and contact information. Or they may pretend to be affiliated with the SEC to lure you into an advance fee fraud scheme.
In some cases, impersonators target investors who have previously been fraud victims.