SEC Office of the Whistleblower
In 2011, the SEC Office of the Whistleblower was created pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) to run the SEC Whistleblower Reward Program. The program provides monetary incentives to individuals who report violations of the federal securities laws to the SEC.
Our clients’ SEC whistleblower tips have helped the SEC halt more than $1 billion in fraudulent investment schemes and we have secured SEC whistleblower awards for seven whistleblowers reporting a wide range of violations of federal securities laws, including accounting fraud, FCPA violations, EB-5 fraud, and violations of auditor independence rules.
Since 2012, the SEC has issued more than $1.8 billion in awards to whistleblowers, which includes awards to our clients totaling millions of dollars. Experienced and effective SEC whistleblower attorneys can provide critical guidance to whistleblowers throughout this process to protect their identities and increase the likelihood that they not only obtain, but maximize, their awards.
If you have original information that you would like to report to the SEC Office of the Whistleblower, contact the Director of our SEC Whistleblower Practice at [email protected] or call our leading SEC whistleblower lawyers at (202) 930-5901or (202) 262-8959. All inquiries are confidential.
SEC Whistleblower Rules
Under the rules of the program, the SEC Office of the Whistleblower is required to issue awards to eligible whistleblowers who provide original information that leads to successful enforcement actions with total monetary sanctions in excess of $1 million. In exchange for specific and credible tips, whistleblowers will receive an award of between 10% and 30% of the total monetary sanctions collected. The SEC considers positive and negative factors when determining an award percentage.
The program allows individuals to submit information anonymously to the SEC Office of the Whistleblower if represented by an attorney. Whistleblowers are also afforded substantial protection against retaliation.
SEC Whistleblower Reward Program
Under the SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, whistleblowers can submit tips anonymously to the SEC through an attorney and be eligible for an award for exposing any material violation of the federal securities laws, including:
- Accounting fraud;
- Investment fraud;
- Ponzi schemes;
- Foreign bribery and FCPA violations;
- Cryptocurrency fraud;
- Promissory note fraud;
- EB-5 investment fraud;
- Fraudulent securities offerings;
- Improper revenue recognition;
- Inadequate internal controls;
- Deceptive non-GAAP financials;
- Manipulation of a security’s price or volume;
- Insider trading;
- Hedge fund fraud;
- Unregistered broker-dealers;
- Investment adviser fraud;
- Anti-money laundering violations;
- False or misleading statements about a company or investment;
- Violations of auditor independence rules; and
- Misleading or incomplete cybersecurity disclosures.
The SEC has jurisdiction over a wide range of industries and entities – both public and private.
Successfully Navigating the Process to Obtain an SEC Whistleblower Award
SEC Whistleblower Law Firm
If you have original information that you would like to report to the SEC Office of the Whistleblower, contact the Director of our SEC Whistleblower Practice at [email protected] or call our leading SEC whistleblower lawyers at (202) 930-5901 or (202) 262-8959. All inquiries are confidential.
In conjunction with our courageous clients, our SEC whistleblower lawyers have helped the SEC halt multi-million dollar investment schemes, expose violations at large publicly traded companies, and return funds to defrauded investors.
In contrast to many other SEC whistleblower law firms, our team of SEC whistleblower lawyers includes a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner with substantial experience auditing public companies and investigating complex fraud schemes. We understand the many challenges that the SEC faces in investigating our clients’ disclosures and take measures to increase the likelihood that the SEC will be able to effectively pursue the disclosures that our SEC whistleblower lawyers provide on behalf of our clients. Recently, U.S. News and Best Lawyers® named Zuckerman Law a Tier 1 firm in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Click below to hear SEC whistleblower attorney Matthew Stock’s tips for SEC whistleblowers:
Resources for SEC Whistleblowers
- SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award
- Auditors’ and accountants’ guide to SEC whistleblower awards
- Whistleblower Protections and Incentives for Auditors and Accountants
- How to Report EB-5 Fraud and Earn an SEC Whistleblower Award
- SEC Cracking Down on Ponzi Schemes
- SEC Scrutinizes “Fake News” Stock Promotion Schemes
- SEC Whistleblower Program: Exposing Insider Trading
- SEC Awards for Disclosures of Foreign Bribery or FCPA Violations
- Whistleblower Rewards and Bounties for Disclosures of Market Manipulation Schemes
- SEC Targeting Investment Adviser Fraud
- Compliance Personnel, Auditors, Officers and Directors Can Obtain SEC Whistleblower Awards
- Money Laundering and the SEC Whistleblower Program
- International Whistleblower Representation – SEC Whistleblower Attorney
- Anonymous Whistleblowing: Does the SEC Whistleblower Program Protect a Whistleblower’s Identity?
- SEC Awards for Disclosures of Foreign Bribery or FCPA Violations
- Securities Fraud Enforcement Action Prompts the Question: What Was the Company Smoking?
- Compliance Officer Whistleblower Representation
- SEC Whistleblower Program: What is the SEC Form TCR?
- Tale of Two Whistleblowers: Lessons Learned from Today’s SEC Whistleblower Award
- Report Underscores Importance of Whistleblower Rewards and Protections for Internal Auditors
- SEC Sanctions: Whistleblower Reference Guide
- Protections and Rewards for Cybersecurity Whistleblowers
- EB-5 Visa Scandal Underscores the Critical Role Whistleblowers Play in Exposing EB-5 Fraud
- SEC Enforcement Director Touts Success of SEC Whistleblower Program
- SEC Whistleblower Program Not Limited to Corporate Insiders
- SEC Pays $3M Award to Whistleblower
- SEC Draft Strategic Plan Affirms the Importance of the SEC’s Whistleblower Reward Program
- Leading SEC Whistleblower Law Firm Featured in Article About Growing Wave of Whistleblower Lawsuits
- Whistleblower Lawyer Interviewed About SEC Whistleblower Award
- Wall Street Journal Quotes Jason Zuckerman on Dodd-Frank SEC Regulations
- SEC Whistleblower Lawyer Quoted in National Law Journal About SEC Whistleblower Program
- SEC Whistleblower Lawyer Zuckerman Quoted About SEC Whistleblower Award for Independent Analysis
- SEC Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Zuckerman Quoted About Tips for SEC Whistleblowers
- Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Zuckerman Quoted About SEC Whistleblower Award
- Whistleblower Lawyer Interviewed About the Rise of Cybersecurity Whistleblowing
- Whistleblower Attorney Zuckerman Quoted in Washington Post About SEC Order
- Whistleblower Attorney Dallas Hammer Interviewed by Bloomberg About Dodd-Frank Protected Whistleblowing
- SEC Whistleblower Lawyer Zuckerman Quoted About SEC Whistleblower Award for Independent Analysis
- Audit committees need to dig into personal relationships
- Whistleblower Bounties Pose Challenges
- CFO Magazine Quotes Whistleblower Attorney Jason Zuckerman About Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Rules
- Fiscal Times Quotes Jason Zuckerman About Dodd-Frank Act Whistleblower Reward Provisions
- Whistleblower Attorney Jason Zuckerman Quoted About Battle Over Corporate Whistleblower Rules