Investors have a number of places on the Internet where they can learn more about securities, securities fraud, consumer protection laws, and other useful regulations and laws.  The list below is a start for the investor who wants to learn more.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Dispute Resolution
FINRA (formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) & (NYSE)) operates a dispute resolution forum for the securities industry.  It works to resolve disputes among investors, securities firms, and individually registered representatives.

Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission governs consumer protection on the federal level.  Their website contains a wealth of information for consumers, including information about investments and securities.

FTC Consumer Complaint Form
This online form allows consumers to submit a complaint about a company, including a brokerage firm.  The FTC does not resolve individual disputes, but a pattern of complaints about any particular company may lead to a federal investigation of that company's practices.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

Research Your Broker

Information on brokers and brokerage firms is available to investors, both online and offline.  FINRA, formerly The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) & (NYSE) keeps records on brokers, as do individual states.  Investors can go to the FINRA Broker Check or call their hotline at 1-800-289-9999.

Investors who want to check state records can find a list of state contacts on the NASAA State Regulator List.