Do you have information about a fraud scheme, but you aren’t sure what to do next? Perhaps you reported the wrongdoing to your boss, but nothing has changed. Now you are wondering what steps you should take next and how you should report SEC fraud.

Federal law permits a monetary award to individuals who voluntarily provide information to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), if that information leads to a successful enforcement action and monetary sanctions over $1 million. Recently, a whistleblower received a $114 million reward from the SEC for tipping off the government to misconduct and aiding in the investigation.

The most common tips the SEC receives are related to corporate disclosures and financials, as well as fraud and manipulation. The SEC has also brought cases based on whistleblower tips about securities violations involving Ponzi schemes, false or misleading statements in company offering memorandums or marketing materials, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations.

It is important to seek the guidance of an attorney before directly submitting a tip to the SEC. An attorney will speak with you, discuss your case, and organize all the information in the most effective manner so it gets picked up by the SEC and assigned to an investigator. A whistleblower attorney will also assist in keeping your identity confidential and ensuring your protections. In fact, an attorney can help you submit a tip to the SEC without ever disclosing your identity.

The SEC understands that people need to feel comfortable to come forward and provides strong protection for whistleblowers. The SEC will take enforcement action against companies or individuals who retaliate against whistleblowers, or who try to impede a whistleblower from reporting violations. Providing these protections is important so whistleblowers know they are safe, and they can be confident in reporting the information they have about fraud to the SEC.

Contact Us

With more than 30 years of experience, the attorneys on Baron & Budd’s whistleblower representation team have represented dozens of clients in government fraud cases returning over $5.4 billion to federal and state agencies, with whistleblower recovery shares as high as 49%. They are ready to help if you have evidence of securities fraud.

Please call (866) 845-2164 or complete our contact form if you would like more information. For more information, see What You Need to Know About Becoming a Whistleblower.  Please understand that contacting us does not mean that you have established an attorney-client relationship with Baron & Budd, P.C.