Fraud Archives - MasterCompliance

Safeguarding From Fraudulent Activity

Posted on September 15, 2023 by SCM Communications

Safeguarding From Fraudulent Activity At any given time, natural disasters are occurring in various locations around the country. These types of situations are ripe for fraudulent activities. Bad actors surface around every corner, and it is imperative that your broker dealer does not become a victim of these criminals. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) defines a bad actors as someone “who seeks to evade regulatory requirements and harm investors for their own personal gain.” A bad actor can show up in many ways and forms. Several red flags include: Someone within your broker dealer may receive an email requesting Read more about Safeguarding From Fraudulent Activity[…]

FINRA Enforcement: Bringing Cases Against Individual Brokers

Posted on December 13, 2022 by admin

On September 20th, FINRA released the podcast FINRA Enforcement: Bringing Cases Against Individual Brokers. This podcast provides background information on how the enforcement process works against individual registered representatives. Mr. Chris Kelly, Deputy Head of Enforcement, was the guest on the show. Below is a summary of key considerations and takeaways for Firm’s and Brokers. Type of Cases Brought Against Individual Brokers Mr. Kelly noted that there are a wide range of cases brought against an individual broker. These can include failure to report an outside business activity, private securities transactions (aka selling away from the firm), fraud, excessive and Read more about FINRA Enforcement: Bringing Cases Against Individual Brokers[…]

Regulatory Notice 22-18: Forgery and Falsification

Posted on August 26, 2022August 26, 2022 by admin

Regulatory Notice 22-18 reminds firms of their rule obligation related to forgery and falsification of records and provides Firm’s with some specific examples that they have encountered from other Firms. These examples are great tools to review against your program and audit to ensure that your Firm is meeting rule requirements. What is Forgery or Falsification of a Record? Forgery occurs when one person signs or affixes, or causes to be signed or affixed, another person’s name or initials on a document without the other person’s prior permission. Falsification occurs when a person creates a document or entry in a Read more about Regulatory Notice 22-18: Forgery and Falsification[…]

FINRA Unscripted Podcast: AML Update

Posted on July 8, 2022July 8, 2022 by admin

FINRA recently released a podcast AML Update: The Latest Trends and Effective Practices . This podcast provides a great update on the current AML and fraud trends and best practices from Jason Foye, Senior Director of the National Cause and Finance Crimes Detection Program’s Special Investigative Unit . A few highlights from the AML update podcast: Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Priorities On June 30, 2021, FinCEN posted a bulletin that set out eight priorities, focused on threats to the U.S. financial system and national security. These priorities include corruption, cybercrime (including relevant cybersecurity and virtual currency considerations), foreign and Read more about FINRA Unscripted Podcast: AML Update[…]

Reporting And Inquiry for Lost, Counterfeit, Missing, and Stolen Securities

Posted on February 18, 2022February 18, 2022 by admin

SEC Rule 17f-1 calls for the SEC or its designee, currently the Securities Information Center (SIC), to maintain records of lost, counterfeit, missing, or stolen securities. This rule was created in an effort to reduce trafficking in lost, stolen, missing, and counterfeit securities. The database of securities maintained by the SIC can only be accessed by registered BDs and other financial institutions to ascertain if securities that have come into their possession have been reported as lost, stolen, missing, or counterfeit. No Criminal Action Suspected Upon discovery of the likely loss of a security, if no criminal action is suspected, Read more about Reporting And Inquiry for Lost, Counterfeit, Missing, and Stolen Securities[…]

Filing A Suspicious Activity Report (“SAR”)

Posted on March 19, 2021April 14, 2021 by admin

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network requires certain financial institutions to file a Suspicious Activities Reports (“SAR”) to report suspicious transactions, as detailed in their FinCEN SAR Electronic Filing Instructions. This blog will go over some of the important aspects of filing a Suspicious Activity Report.