SEC to Crack Down on Lying Advisors

While Giuliani was focused on “subway turnstile-jumpers and squeegee-men,” the enforcement division is zeroing in on advisors “who lie about graduating Phi Beta Kappa, conceal their association in a past failed business venture, or inflate their assets under management who might well be the same persons who outright steal your money when the markets turn against them,” he said.

The enforcement unit’s newly-created Asset Management Specialized Unit “is utilizing data and risk-based analytics to identify the early-warning signs of fraud, thus increasing our ability to cut off schemes in their infancy,” Khuzami said.

The enforcement division is also focusing on analyzing databases to identify mutual funds that exhibit poor performance, have relatively high fee arrangements, and sub-advisors, he said, “all of which may suggest excessive fee arrangements that can eat away at the returns you should be getting in your mutual fund investments.”