How do I check if an investment or company is SEC-registered?
Last updated: 2026-07-11 · Educational content; not legal advice.
Short answer
Use the SEC's Check with SEC portal (checkwithsec.sec.gov.ph) to confirm whether a company or partnership is registered — and, crucially, whether it holds the secondary license needed to take investments, lend, or offer securities. Registration as a company alone does NOT mean it is allowed to solicit investments; that requires a separate SEC license under the Securities Regulation Code (RA 8799). Also search the SEC's public advisories, where the Enforcement and Investor Protection Department names entities caught soliciting without authority. If it is not on the portal, has no secondary license, or appears in an advisory, do not invest.
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Frequently asked
Isn't SEC registration enough to prove an investment is legit?
No. Being registered as a corporation or partnership only means the entity exists on paper. To legally solicit investments or sell securities, it needs a separate secondary license from the SEC. Check with SEC shows both — verify the license, not just the registration.
What if the company name isn't on the portal?
That is a serious warning sign. If an entity soliciting your money does not appear as registered, or lacks the relevant secondary license, treat it as unauthorized and do not invest. You can also report it to the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department.
Where do I see who the SEC has already flagged?
The SEC posts public advisories naming entities it has caught soliciting investments without authority. Search the entity's name there before parting with any money — many scams are named in an advisory before victims come forward.
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What to do after an online scam — the first-hour playbook, where to report (PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, NBI, DOJ Office of Cybercrime), how to spot and report investment/Ponzi scams to the SEC, phishing and OTP theft, online-shopping fraud (undelivered, fake, or misrepresented goods), romance and job scams, and the legal basis under estafa (Revised Penal Code Art. 315), RA 8484, RA 10175, RA 8792, RA 7394, and RA 8799.