NASAA announced that "more than 200 active investigations" into initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency-related investment products are currently under way by state or provincial securities regulators in the U.S. and Canada.
NASAA said that its ongoing "Operation Cryptosweep", which was launched in May, has now expanded to 200 investigations and resulted in 46 enforcement actions.
Some of the investigations involve suspected securities fraud, but other potential violations of state and provincial securities laws are also coming to light, including failure to properly register a product before it is offered to investors.
NASAA President and Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph P. Borg said that regulators are "committing significant regulatory resources to protect investors from financial harm involving fraudulent ICOs and cryptocurrency-related investment products and also are raising awareness among industry participants of their regulatory responsibilities".
He added:
“While not every ICO or cryptocurrency-related investment is a fraud, it is important for individuals and firms selling these products to be mindful that they are not doing so in a vacuum; state and provincial laws or regulations may apply, especially securities laws. Sponsors of these products should seek the advice of knowledgeable legal counsel to ensure they do not run afoul of the law. Furthermore, a strong culture of compliance should be in place before, not after, these products are marketed to investors.”
Borg reminded industry players that any product that qualifies as a security needs to be registered with the appropriate regulatory agency or qualify for an exemption from registration.
He also advised investors to "do their homework" and "be cautious when dealing with promoters who claim their ICO offering is exempt from securities registration but do not ask about your income, net worth or level of investing sophistication".
Operation Cryptosweep was announced in May 2018 and saw securities regulators in North America launch dozens of investigations into potentially deceitful cryptocurrency investment products, in one of the largest co-ordinated series of enforcement actions by state and provincial officials in respect of virtual currency scams.