The North American Securities Administrators Association ("NASAA") identified recent enforcement trends in an annual summary of enforcement actions.
In the 2018 Enforcement Report, NASAA highlighted that in 2017:
- roughly 8,000 complaints were received and approximately 5,000 investigations initiated;
- almost $486 million was returned to investors; and
- coordinated enforcement efforts served to maximize NASAA's collective ability to protect the investing public.
Further, NASAA identified a large increase in enforcement actions against unregistered individuals and firms and that seniors remained a primary target of investment fraud. NASAA also noted an increase in enforcement focus on suspect initial coin offerings and other investments involving cryptocurrencies.
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