{"id":3304,"date":"2023-07-07T06:48:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T06:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=3304"},"modified":"2025-08-13T07:50:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T07:50:41","slug":"sec-whistleblower-program","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/es\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/","title":{"rendered":"SEC Whistleblower Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Whistleblowers <a href=\"https:\/\/oig.justice.gov\/hotline\/whistleblower-protection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">provide a vital service<\/a> to the United States when they report evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or other illegal activity involving a federal agency. As a result, many federal agencies have passed whistleblower protection laws, including the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/es\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/#What_Is_the_SEC_Whistleblower_Program\" >What Is the SEC Whistleblower Program?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/es\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/#Can_You_Report_Anonymously\" >Can You Report Anonymously?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/es\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/#Examples_of_Eligibility_for_the_SEC_Whistleblower_Program\" >Examples of Eligibility for the SEC Whistleblower Program<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/es\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/#What_Is_%E2%80%98Original_Information\" >What Is \u2018Original\u2019 Information?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/es\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/#Contact_the_SEC_Whistleblower_and_FCA_Attorneys_at_Nix_Patterson_Today\" >Contact the SEC Whistleblower and FCA Attorneys at Nix Patterson Today<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Do you believe your employer or other organization engaged in fraud or other illegal activity involving the SEC? Then, contact our <a href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/\">SEC whistleblower and False Claims Act (FCA) attorneys<\/a> at Nix Patterson today for a free whistleblower case review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_the_SEC_Whistleblower_Program\"><\/span><a><\/a>What Is the SEC Whistleblower Program?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The SEC reports that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/whistleblower#:~:text=The%20Commission%20is%20authorized%20by,30%25%20of%20the%20money%20collected.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">assistance and information from whistleblowers<\/a> who are aware of potential violations of securities laws are some of the most potent weapons the agency has to fight corruption and fraud. Whistleblowers often help the SEC pinpoint potential fraud and related violations earlier than would have been otherwise possible. This allows the SEC to reduce financial harm to investors and better preserve the quality and integrity of the country\u2019s capital markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. Congress authorizes the SEC to provide monetary awards to whistleblowers who produce high-quality, original information that results in an SEC enforcement action when more than $1 million in sanctions is ordered. The range for a whistleblower award is between 10% and 30% of the funds collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency performs investigations into potential securities violations, and the more specific and timely the information, the more likely the information will be forwarded to the appropriate staff. For example, if a whistleblower identifies people involved in an illegal scheme or offers examples of possible illicit transactions, the information is more likely to be forwarded to the Enforcement staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the SEC lacks jurisdiction to take enforcement actions on information not in the agency\u2019s scope. The agency may, if appropriate, forward the matter to another agency for follow-up. Some of the illegal activities that whistleblowers sometimes report to the SEC are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Insider trading<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ponzi schemes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Security price manipulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Abusive short selling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bribery of foreign officials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>False and misleading statements about a business or company<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Initial coin offerings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Report_Anonymously\"><\/span><a><\/a>Can You Report Anonymously?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/whistleblower\/frequently-asked-questions#faq-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yes, you can submit tips anonymously.<\/a> However, to be eligible for an award, you need to have an SEC whistleblower attorney representing you in the case. Your attorney must provide the information on behalf through the agency\u2019s online TCR portal or provide a hard copy of Form TCR. You must also give the attorney a completed Form TCR that you signed under penalty of perjury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The SEC is committed to protecting whistleblowers\u2019 identities as much as possible. For instance, the SEC will not disclose your identity if requests are made via the Freedom of Information Act. However, the SEC states there are limits to its ability to protect your identity in some instances and the information may have to be disclosed to certain people or entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, in a court or administrative proceeding, the SEC may have to produce documents or related information revealing who you are as a whistleblower. Also, as part of the SEC\u2019s investigatory work, the agency may use your provided information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Examples_of_Eligibility_for_the_SEC_Whistleblower_Program\"><\/span><a><\/a>Examples of Eligibility for the SEC Whistleblower Program<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To qualify for an SEC whistleblower award, you must provide information voluntarily to the agency that helps it to file an enforcement action that leads to sanctions over $1 million Some of the most critical requirements to qualify for the SEC Whistleblower Program are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The information has to be related to an SEC securities law violation or the bribing of a foreign official.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The information must be provided voluntarily before the government asks for the information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The information must be your independent knowledge or analysis and unavailable in public sources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You could qualify for a whistleblower award if you report the matter to your company and then it self-reports it to the SEC.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The SEC could raise your award if you report your information via internal channels. But it can reduce the reward if you interfere with your company\u2019s investigation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the following persons do not qualify for an SEC whistleblower award:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lawyers who obtain the information related to their representing the company, or if the information is subject to attorney-client privilege.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Company directors or officers who discover violations related to internal compliance processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public accountants who work on SEC-related engagements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Company workers who obtained the information related to their work in audits or compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_%E2%80%98Original_Information\"><\/span><a><\/a>What Is \u2018Original\u2019 Information?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Original information is derived from your independent knowledge or independent analysis not currently known by the SEC. Also, a whistleblower who offers independent analysis must do more than simply point out publicly available information. Information isn\u2019t independent analysis if you simply direct the SEC to already public information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Contact_the_SEC_Whistleblower_and_FCA_Attorneys_at_Nix_Patterson_Today\"><\/span><a><\/a>Contact the SEC Whistleblower and FCA Attorneys at Nix Patterson Today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect or know that your employer is attempting fraud or other illegal activity involving the SEC, contact our <a href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/contact\/\">SEC whistleblower and FCA attorneys<\/a> at Nix Patterson. Our attorneys can assist with whistleblower cases involving the SEC and other federal agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3305,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"news_attorney_categories":[],"news_categories":[],"news_practice_areas":[313],"news_years":[],"class_list":["post-3304","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SEC Whistleblower Program | Nix Patterson<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nixlaw.com\/practice-areas\/whistleblower-and-false-claims-act-litigation\/sec-whistleblower-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SEC Whistleblower Program | Nix Patterson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Whistleblowers provide a vital service to the United States when they report evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or other illegal activity involving a federal agency. 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