Check before you invest

Checking registration helps protect you from unqualified or fraudulent individuals. Always check the registration of any person or business trying to sell you an investment or give you investment advice by using the Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Registration Search.

Investment fraud can be easy to recognize when you know what it looks like. Watch for common warning signs of fraud:

1. You are promised high returns with little or no risk
2. You get a hot tip or insider information
3. You feel pressured to buy
4. They’re not registered to sell investments

In addition to checking the registration of a person or company, use these tools and resources to check qualifications, disciplinary history, or cease trade orders.

• the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) Advisor Report lists the qualifications of investment advisors and any disciplinary action taken against individuals
• the Canadian Securities Administrator’s (CSA) Disciplined List includes information on individuals sanctioned by the OSC and other Canadian regulators since 1997
• the CSA also maintains a list of cease trade orders, which tells you if a particular company is prohibited from trading securities for a specific time period

At the OSC, we issue investor alerts about possible harmful or illegal activity in progress, and maintain a warning list of companies or individuals performing activities that may pose a risk to investors.