SEC to Investors: Those 'Official' DMs From 'Us' Are Probably Just Scammers With a Badge and a Photoshop License

The SEC dropped an investor alert on April 2 warning that fraudsters are sliding into DMs pretending to be SEC officials—because apparently, some grifters thought it'd be cute to cosplay as regulators. Classic case of "I can do my job better than you" energy, but make it illegal.

The agency took to X to sound the alarm: watch out for anyone claiming to be the SEC (or actual SEC employees) sliding into your social media DMs or texting you unsolicited stock tips, 'help' recovering lost funds, or classic advance fee nonsense. Yeah, that's a scam. If a regulator slides into your DMs offering financial advice, congratulations—you've just encountered the internet's most ambitious phishing attempt.

These clowns are using official-looking branding, fake profiles, and sometimes even real employee names—like Commissioner Hester Peirce, who got impersonated in a previous alert—to build false credibility. They're also harvesting personal info to steal identities and drain accounts. Nothing says "trust me, I'm from the government" like a perfectly Photoshopped badge and a burner account. Peak impersonation energy.

This isn't new territory. The SEC flagged nearly identical schemes back in September, where scammers posed as officials on X and via text, complete with links to real resources to seem legit. They've also warned about 'pig butchering' romance scams and stock tip grifts circulating in group chats. At this point, scammers are basically running a fan club of SEC greatest hits.

The agency keeps updating its Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities list to call out these bogus regulators pretending to have government backing. Think of it as the SEC's very own blocklist—less doxxing, more public shaming.

Bottom line: Real SEC officials aren't DMing you investment advice. If someone claims otherwise, block, report, and maybe touch grass. Actually, definitely touch grass. Your portfolio will thank you.