Investment scam alerts
Before deciding whether to engage with an entity, check ASIC’s scam warnings and Investor Alert List.
Key points:
- ASIC regularly publishes alerts about investment scams, including crypto scams involving unlicensed entities and scammers misusing company and licensee details to impersonate legitimate businesses.
- Before engaging, Stop. Check. Protect.
Stay up-to-date on investment scams
ASIC regularly warns the public about investment scams and scams involving financial services by publishing scam alerts. Collated below are the most recent alerts published by ASIC.
Investor Alert List
ASIC also publishes an Investor Alert List on its Moneysmart website, which can help you know which companies, businesses and websites (or ‘entities’) are not to be trusted.
The entities on the list may be targeting Australian consumers, do not hold a current licence from ASIC and are not allowed to offer investments in Australia.
If someone contacts you to offer an investment opportunity, check this list as part of your research before deciding whether to invest.
If it’s on the list, don’t take the risk.
This list is not exhaustive and is based on the information available to ASIC at the time of publication. The name or contact details may have changed since an entry was added.
IOSCO (international) alert list
If a company claims to be overseas, check with the regulatory body in that country to see if they're licensed. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) lists the securities regulators for most countries.
You can also use IOSCO’s International Securities & Commodities Alerts Network (I-SCAN) to check for warnings about overseas companies. I-SCAN features warnings from IOSCO’s members about entities which are not authorised to provide investment services in their jurisdictions.
More information
Scammers can target you anywhere, including online, by phone or by email. Know what to look for so you can spot a scam and protect yourself. Find more useful resources on Moneysmart:
- Protect yourself from scams
- What to do if you've been scammed
- Report an investment scam
- Identity theft.
Types of financial services scams: