New Investment Cautions and Alerts Page

To better inform Nova Scotia investors about potential investment fraud and scams the Nova Scotia Securities Commission has enhanced its warnings from enforcement by creating a new Investment Cautions and Alerts Page.

As part of the Nova Scotia Securities Commission’s mandate to protect investors and the integrity of the capital markets, the Commission issues Cautions and Alerts notifying the public of individuals and entities who appear to be engaging in ongoing and potentially harmful securities or derivatives-related activity that may pose risk to Nova Scotian investors. Links to a record of all Cautions and Alerts can be found on this page. These lists are non-exhaustive and are intended only to supplement your own due diligence prior to investing with any individual or entity so you can make informed investment decisions.

The individuals and entities named in the Cautions List and Alerts List are not registered to engage in the business of trading or advising on securities or derivatives in Nova Scotia. The Commission urges investors to use extreme caution when dealing with unregistered individuals and entities as they could be running a scam or fraud. It is illegal to solicit investments in Nova Scotia without registration and compliance with Nova Scotia securities laws, unless an exemption applies.

What is the difference between an Investor Caution and an Investor Alert?

Investor Cautions are warnings to potential investors that the individuals or entities named do not appear to be registered to engage in the business of offering securities or derivatives in Nova Scotia or that the investment products do not appear to be offered in a manner permitted by Nova Scotia securities laws. The Commission urges investors to use extreme caution when dealing with unregistered individuals or entities as they could be running a scam or fraud.

Investor Alerts are warnings that the Commission has conducted investigatory work and has reason to believe that the individuals’ or entities’ activities or schemes appear to violate Nova Scotia securities laws and may pose imminent risk of harm to Nova Scotian investors.  Potential Investors should avoid these investment opportunities.

Always check the registration of any person or entity offering an investment opportunity before investing funds. You should also check the Canadian Securities Administrators’ Investor Alerts for cautions and alerts issued by other Canadian securities regulators. 

You can also reduce your risk when investing by:

  • Conducting further online research on the parties offering the investment opportunity as well as the investment product being offered.  Do not assume websites are legitimate;

  • Understanding exactly what you are investing in and how the investment, product or service operates.  Do not invest in something that you do not understand;

  • Obtaining professional advice about the investment from someone registered with the Commission or from legal counsel or a Chartered Professional Accountant; and

  • Knowing the red flags for investment fraud.

Contact your Provincial or Territorial securities regulator to report investment scams or what you believe to be suspicious behaviour from anyone offering investment opportunities. In Nova Scotia, the Commission is the provincial regulatory agency responsible for regulating the investment industry.