5 Tips for SEC Whistleblowers to Get SEC Whistleblower Awards

Qualifying for an SEC Whistleblower Award: Lessons Learned from SEC Whistleblower Award Determinations

The SEC Whistleblower Program has issued more than $1.9 billion in awards to whistleblowers since 2012, which includes multi-million dollar awards to our clients. The largest SEC whistleblower awards to date are $279 million, $114 million, $110 million, and $50 million.

The orders announcing the awards offer critical guidance on how to: (1) recover an award; and (2) maximize the award percentage. These five lessons are drawn from those orders and our experience effectively representing SEC whistleblowers. Our clients’ SEC whistleblower tips have helped the SEC halt more than $1 billion in fraudulent investment schemes and the orders granting awards to our clients note the significant assistance provided to the SEC.

If you are seeking representation from an experienced SEC whistleblower law firm to qualify for an SEC whistleblower award, click here or call us at (202) 930-5901 to schedule a free, confidential consultation with our experienced and effective SEC whistleblower lawyers.

U.S. News and Best Lawyers® named Zuckerman Law a Tier-1 Law Firm. Our experienced and effective SEC whistleblower attorneys will work to quickly provide you with the highest-quality representation.

We have obtained awards for six SEC whistleblowers. The orders announcing those awards note our clients’ significant assistance to SEC staff that led to SEC enforcement actions and enabled the SEC to conserve resources. Our success representing whistleblowers at the SEC has enabled us to focus on a limited number of claims that are likely to result in enforcement actions and result in the payment of awards.

Tip #1: Establish a Material Violation

Many SEC whistleblower attorneys will incorrectly begin the analysis of a claim by determining a whistleblower’s eligibility for an award. This puts the cart before the horse. The first step in any successful whistleblower claim is to determine whether you can establish a material violation of federal securities law. In other words, can you show the SEC that your tip concerns a violation that is serious enough to warrant the use of its limited resources?

Whistleblowers have filed more than 60,000 tips with the SEC since August 2011. With more resources, the SEC might be able to investigate all legitimate tips. But given resource constraints, the SEC generally investigates and pursues only the strongest tips. (See Tip #5 on how to get the SEC’s attention with your tip.)

If you have a hunch about a violation but lack any proof, then it may be worth investigating further, rather than submitting an incomplete or speculative claim to the SEC. Tips generally fall to the wayside unless they provide “specific” and “credible” information about a material violation of the federal securities laws. That said, if you have such information about a material violation, you will most likely want to submit your Form TCR as soon as possible (see Tip #3) unless you are required to take certain steps prior to submitting a tip in order to be eligible for an award.

Tip #2: Quickly Determine Eligibility Because It May Affect Award Percentage

The next step in any successful whistleblower claim is to determine eligibility. This step follows a finding of a material violation because, while most individuals cannot establish a material violation, almost everyone can become eligible for an award, if certain steps are taken. Lawyers, external and internal auditors, and even individuals involved in the wrongdoing are among those who may be eligible for awards.

Analyzing a whistleblower’s eligibility for an award is complex. The analysis differs depending on the individual’s relation to the company and how the individual obtained the information. For example, auditors may report to the SEC and be eligible for an award if:

they have a reasonable basis to believe the disclosure is necessary to prevent conduct that is likely to cause “substantial injury” to the financial interest or property of the entity or investors;
they have a reasonable basis to believe the entity is engaging in “conduct that will impede an investigation of the misconduct”; or
at least 120 days have passed either since they properly disclosed the information internally, or since they obtained the information under circumstances indicating that the entity’s officers already knew of the information.

Auditors who obtained the information during their audit of an issuer, however, will be eligible for an award only if:

they have a reasonable basis to believe the disclosure is necessary to prevent “a material violation of the securities laws” that is likely to cause “substantial injury” to the financial interest or property of the entity or investors;
they have a reasonable basis to believe the entity is engaging in “conduct that will impede an investigation of the misconduct even if the submission does not contain an allegation of audit firm wrongdoing”; or
they report the securities-law violation to a superior in their independent public-accounting firm, and the firm fails to promptly report that information to the SEC.

Eligibility depends on various factors. If whistleblowers are uncertain about their eligibility, then they should consult with an experienced SEC whistleblower attorney. A skillful analysis may be the difference between a multimillion-dollar whistleblower award and no award at all.

Tip #3: Act Fast

It is never too early to think about maximizing your potential award. Whistleblowers may receive anywhere from 10% to 30% of the monetary sanctions collected in actions brought by the SEC and in related actions brought by other regulatory or law enforcement authorities. And the timing of a whistleblower’s tip is a significant factor that the SEC considers in determining whether, and how much, to award.

To be eligible for an award, a whistleblower must first submit “original information.” Original information is any information that the SEC does not already have. Whistleblowers who wait to report information, therefore, risk that someone else will submit the same information to the SEC first. Keep in mind that even if the SEC has already opened an investigation, whistleblowers may still qualify for an award if their information “significantly contributes” to the success of an action.

Next, the whistleblower office may reduce the amount of an award if the whistleblower unreasonably delays reporting the violation to the SEC. In making this determination, the whistleblower office considers:

whether the whistleblower failed to take reasonable steps to report the violation or prevent it from occurring or continuing;
whether the whistleblower was aware of the violation but reported to the SEC only after learning of an investigation into the misconduct; and
whether there was a legitimate reason for the whistleblower to delay reporting the violation.

For example, on February 28, 2017, the SEC issued an order reducing an award to 20% of the monetary sanctions collected “because of both the Claimant’s culpability in connection with the securities law violations at issue in the Covered Action and the Claimant’s unreasonable delay in reporting the wrongdoing to the Commission.”

Finally, to be eligible for an award, some whistleblowers must take certain actions (e.g., the 120-day exception for auditors under certain circumstances, see Tip #2) before reporting to the SEC. Whistleblowers should therefore understand and consider the specific eligibility requirements in determining when to report to the SEC.

**Tip #4: Know the Rules Before Filing with the SEC**

Besides avoiding “unreasonable delay,” whistleblowers should be aware of other factors (see § 240.21F-6) that influence the size of awards. Whistleblowers should learn the rules early on because, as mentioned, some actions must be taken prior to filing with the SEC. For example, the whistleblower office may reduce the amount of an award if the whistleblower participated in the reported securities-law violation or interfered with the company’s internal compliance and reporting systems.

On the other hand, the whistleblower office may increase the amount of an award based on:

the tip’s significance to the success of any proceeding brought against wrongdoers;
the assistance that you and your legal representative provide in the SEC action or related action;
the SEC’s law-enforcement interest in deterring the specific violation; and
whether, and the extent to which, you participated in your company’s internal compliance and reporting systems.

Accordingly, whistleblowers have an incentive to report internally to their companies’ compliance personnel before going to the SEC. If whistleblowers choose to report internally, then they should also report the same information to the SEC within 120 days.

That way, in evaluating a potential award, the SEC will consider the date of the internal report, rather than the date that the whistleblower reported to the SEC. As the SEC puts it, the whistleblower office will “hold your place in line.” This may determine, for example, whether a whistleblower submitted “original information.”

Tip #5: Draft a Tip that Grabs the SEC’s Attention

The SEC Whistleblower Office is relatively small, and thousands of tips are submitted annually. According to the SEC’s Annual Report Congress on the Whistleblower Program, the office received 18,000 tips in fiscal year 2023, almost 50% more than the previous record set in FY 2022.

As such, SEC whistleblowers and their attorneys should tailor their tips to quickly grab the whistleblower office’s attention. While we could write a book on this section alone, here are a few “rules” to keep in mind when drafting submissions:

Provide the SEC with a clear roadmap for a successful enforcement action. Do not submit a pile of documents and expect the whistleblower office to figure it out. Instead, walk the SEC, step by step, through specific and credible examples of the violation(s). A February 2020 order awarding $7M to a whistleblower recognized the whistleblower’s “extensive and ongoing assistance during the course of the investigation, including identifying witnesses and helping staff understand complex fact patterns and issues related to the matters under investigation; the Commission used information Claimant provided to devise an investigative plan and to craft its initial document requests; and recognition of Claimant’s persistent efforts to remedy the issues, while suffering hardships.”
Demonstrate how the violation is “material.” As mentioned, the SEC investigates only those violations that are serious enough to warrant the use of its limited resources. While demonstrating materiality, be sure to analyze the legal issues and tie them to the specific violations. This should include a discussion of potential challenges that the SEC may encounter and how the agency should address them.
If possible, provide the whistleblower office with documentation of the violation. The SEC is much more likely to act on a tip that is supported by strong evidence. The SEC does not, however, want all types of evidence. For example, the SEC does not want information that may violate the company’s attorney-client privilege (e.g., documents, including emails, that involve advice from inside or outside counsel).

To schedule a free, confidential consultation with one of Zuckerman Law’s SEC whistleblower attorneys, click here or call us at (202) 930-5901. To learn more about the SEC Whistleblower Program, download Zuckerman Law’s eBook: SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award:

SEC Whistleblower Lawyers

Recently the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners published a profile of Matt Stock’s success working with whistleblowers to fight fraud:

SEC Whistleblower Attorneys’ Tips to Qualify for an SEC Whistleblower Award

For more information about the SEC Whistleblower Program, contact our experienced and effective SEC whistleblower lawyers at (202) 930-5901 for a free, confidential consultation. Also, the following FAQ about the SEC Whistleblower Program identifies some of the key facets of the program.

Washington DC SEC Whistleblower Law Firm

The SEC whistleblower lawyers at leading whistleblower firm Zuckerman law represent whistleblowers nationwide and abroad in disclosing fraud and other violations to the SEC Whistleblower Program, the CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, and the IRS Tax Fraud Whistleblower Program. In addition, the firm has substantial experience litigating whistleblower protection and whistleblower retaliation claims, including Sarbanes-Oxley corporate whistleblower protection claims.

If you are seeking representation in an SEC whistleblower bounty case, click here, or call us at 202-262-8959 to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

Click below to hear SEC whistleblower lawyer Matt Stock’s tips for SEC whistleblowers:

Protections for SEC Whistleblowers

The Dodd-Frank Act prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers for disclosing potential securities law violations to the SEC. It also protects disclosures to an employer where the whistleblower also made a discourse to the SEC.

In addition, Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act protects internal whistleblowing and whistleblowing to the SEC. Click here to learn more about anti-retaliation protections for SEC whistleblowers under the Dodd-Frank Act and Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Our attorneys have litigated whistleblower retaliation cases for more than two decades, and two of our attorneys served in senior positions at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the federal agency that protects whistleblowers in the federal government.

For more information about SOX whistleblower protections for SEC whistleblowers, download our free guide Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Protection: Robust Protection for Corporate Whistleblowers.