Reports of misconduct data
ASIC is releasing data on reports of misconduct received from the public separate from our annual report.
We welcome reports and tip-offs from the public about possible financial services misconduct as these help ASIC detect misconduct. Not all reports made to ASIC fall within our jurisdiction, and due to the volume of reports received, we are unable to act on every one. It is important to note that ASIC does not resolve complaints, intervene in disputes, provide legal advice, or help recover money. We use the data to identify patterns, trends, and broader systemic problems that inform whether they may require our intervention.
This edition covers the six-month period from 1 January to 30 June 2025 and includes:
- the number and nature of reports of misconduct
- key themes of misconduct
- a breakdown by subcategory
- examples of reports of misconduct and tip-offs, and
- factors that determine whether ASIC takes action.
If you would like to report misconduct to ASIC, please visit Reporting misconduct to ASIC.
7,561 reports of misconduct were received from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025.
Number and nature of reports of misconduct
Below is a summary of the number and nature of reports of misconduct from 1 January to 30 June 2025.
Reports within ASIC jurisdiction and require closer examination by ASIC
| Percentage of reports* | Number of reports | Nature of the report |
|---|---|---|
| 28% | 2,139 | Scam related conduct. ASIC has shut down an average of 130 investment scam websites each week. |
| 19% | 1,451 | Prioritised for further assessment and consideration based on ASIC’s priorities in the Corporate Plan |
| 13% | 987 | Requests from external administrators for assistance in obtaining books and records or reports on company activities and property (ROCAP). |
Reports within ASIC jurisdiction and considered for future use, including trend identification
| Percentage of reports* | Number of reports | Nature of the report |
|---|---|---|
| 32% | 2,406 | Reviewed and recorded for intelligence – outside ASIC priorities; or remedies such as internal and external dispute resolution available. |
Reports outside of ASIC jurisdiction
| Percentage of reports* | Number of reports | Nature of the report |
|---|---|---|
| 6% | 487 | Conduct falling outside of ASIC’s jurisdiction. |
| 1% | 91 | Reports that do not identify possible misconduct. |
*Note: As the data is not shown to 6 decimal points, there is a 1% rounding adjustment.
815 reports raised issues that were also mentioned in other reports of misconduct, with these reports considered together.
73 reports were of direct assistance to existing ASIC surveillance or investigation cases and were therefore incorporated into those surveillance or investigation cases.
Key themes of misconduct
Below are the key themes that ASIC detected in the reports of misconduct.
A brief description of each theme is provided below:
- Financial services and retail investors – includes credit issues, general license obligations, unregistered managed investment schemes, unlicensed provision of financial services conduct, and other conduct related to advice, insurance, and misleading and deceptive or unconscionable behaviour.
- Corporations and corporate governance – includes fraud allegations, corporate governance issues, registered liquidator conduct, insolvency matters, shareholder issues, reporting issues and failure to provide books and records on company activities and property to registered liquidators.
- Market integrity – includes insider trading, continuous disclosure, misleading statements or market manipulation.
- Registry integrity – includes an incorrect address recorded on ASIC’s register, lodging false documents with ASIC and issues with business names.
- Out of jurisdiction – includes reports outside ASIC’s jurisdiction.
Further breakdown by category of theme
The two categories financial services and retail investors and corporations and corporate governance account for 53% and 35% of Reports of Misconduct received by ASIC respectively. We have provided a further breakdown into subcategories in figure 2 and 3.
Note: One report may raise multiple themes, meaning the number of themes recorded will be larger than the number of reports received.
As market integrity and registry integrity each account for three per cent of Reports of Misconduct received, the categories were not broken down any further.
Total: 5,909 reports of misconduct
Total: 3,819 reports of misconduct
Highlights
In the last six months, issues accepted by ASIC for further consideration, covering surveillance, compliance, investigation or administrative actions, included:
- credit issues, including responsible lending and unlicensed credit and financial services conduct
- auditor concerns for self-managed superannuation funds
- insolvency practitioner conduct
- governance issues
- fraud allegations, and
- failures to apply for a director identification number
Examples of reports of misconduct and tip-offs
ASIC welcomes reports of misconduct and tip offs. Below are three examples of the types of misconduct referred to ASIC for assessment and possible investigation. These examples are based on actual reports ASIC received from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025. Note, the names have been changed to protect privacy.
- Joan’s financial adviser obtained her signature on various investment documents. Joan suffered from dementia and did not fully understand the documents, which contained high fees.
- Ken entered into a hire purchase arrangement for a used car. The credit provider was unlicensed. Ken fell into financial hardship and discovered the contract contains terms that he believes are unfair. The high penalty fees charged were not disclosed to Ken.
- Gary received an unexpected email from an investment bank, offering a lucrative investment opportunity. He downloaded software, which gave the ‘investment adviser’ control over his device. Gary lost $1,900 to the scam before becoming suspicious and reporting the matter.
Factors that determine whether ASIC takes action
ASIC records all reports received to assist regulatory and enforcement actions. We identify and consider those with conduct indicating offences within ASIC’s priorities and jurisdiction. If the report of misconduct meets this criteria, we escalate for further assessment.
The factors we consider in assessing a report from the public are set out in Information Sheet 151 ASIC’s approach to enforcement (INFO 151) and include:
- issues causing significant harm to consumers, markets or our financial system
- matters involving significant public interest or concern, or where action will benefit the public
- issues specific to the case, such as the nature and impact of the misconduct, the age of the conduct, whether it is repeated or continuing, and what evidence may be available to support any action, and
- whether alternatives to formal investigation by ASIC are more appropriate and available.
While we cannot take action on every report, some reports remain on our database and are used when additional information becomes known about the conduct identified.
For more information on how to report possible financial services misconduct to ASIC, please visit Reporting misconduct to ASIC.