Investment Caution List
Investment opportunities can come from anywhere in the world. The BC Securities Commission takes a proactive approach by notifying the public with the names of:
- Unregistered foreign brokerage firms that have solicited BC investors to open trading accounts
- Businesses in other jurisdictions that have solicited BC residents to buy unqualified investments
- Businesses connected, or purporting to be connected, to BC that have solicited investors in other jurisdictions to purchase unqualified investments
Under the Securities Act, brokerage firms need to register with the BCSC as dealers or advisers in order to open trading accounts for BC residents. You can search registered dealers and advisers to check the registration and disciplinary history of an individual or brokerage firm.
An unqualified investment is one where the company's securities (shares, promissory notes, debentures, limited partnership units, etc.) are not part of a prospectus offering or are not exempt from the prospectus requirement under the Securities Act.
Find out more about private company investments on InvestRight.org
If an unregistered foreign brokerage firm contacts you, or you think a company is trying to sell you unqualified investments, immediately report it. You can do this by:
- Filling out an on-line complaint form
- Phoning the BCSC Contact Centre at 604-899-6854 or 1-800-373-6393 (toll free across Canada
- Emailing the Contact Centre at inquiries@bcsc.bc.ca.
The Contact Centre can also help you find information with questions about unqualified investments and disciplined persons.