Reporting misconduct to ASIC
ASIC welcomes tip offs about people or companies that break laws we administer. This page has information about ASIC’s role and can help you decide whether to make a report to ASIC. This page also lists common issues reported to ASIC that we do not deal with.
Please note that ASIC is not a complaints resolution body; ASIC does not resolve complaints, intervene in disputes, give legal advice or act to get your money back.
ASIC receives thousands of reports of misconduct every year. All reports give us valuable intelligence but we cannot investigate every matter that is brought to our attention. In a limited number of cases, we may formally investigate a report or tip off if it meets our current priorities and enforcement criteria. We publish our Enforcement Priorities on our website.
We record the data from reports to help us detect serious misconduct and broader systemic problems in the financial system. See also Information Sheet 153 How ASIC deals with reports of misconduct (INFO 153).
What ASIC does and does not do
ASIC does:
- Receive reports and tip offs confidentially
- Receive reports and tip offs anonymously
- Record and use information as intelligence to detect misconduct, identify patterns, trends, and broader systemic problems that may require ASIC’s intervention
- Take action to prevent and address significant harm to the financial system and consumers on issues that align with our strategic priorities
ASIC does not:
- Intervene in individual disputes
- Resolve complaints about companies or people
- Act for individuals to get their money back
- Give legal advice
- Give financial advice
- Tell you if an investment is good or bad
- Tell you about current investigations other than what we say on our website or through media releases
What is your report about?
ASIC welcomes reports about issues that we regulate. ASIC regulates many areas of the financial system so it can be difficult to know what ASIC does and doesn’t deal with. We’ve gathered the most common issues here including links to relevant information that may help you. See also our ‘For Consumers’ page, our Moneysmart website and ASIC’s role.
ASIC regulates:
- Insider trading and market manipulation in financial markets
- Sale of financial products to retail investors
- Financial advisers
- Credit for personal, domestic or household use (e.g. home loans, credit cards)
- Mortgage brokers
- Superannuation funds
- Banks
- Insurance (not all – see exclusions)
- Unlicensed financial advice or services
- Unlicensed credit
- Registered auditors
- Registered liquidators
- Listed public companies (e.g. companies listed on a stock exchange)
- Illegal phoenix activity
- Systemic or egregious misconduct by directors of failed companies
- Investment scams
- Whistleblower protection
Limited jurisdiction:
- Credit for business or commercial purposes
- Managed investment schemes that are not required to be registered
- Sale of financial products to sophisticated or wholesale investors
- Debt collectors (shared with other regulators)
- Disputes with AFCA
- Abandoned companies
- Disputes about business names
ASIC does not regulate:
- Company or business disputes
- Breach of contract
- Sale of goods and services (not related to financial or credit services)
- Competition or fair trading
- Employment, wages and conditions
- Telecommunications
- Tax and ABNs
- Real estate including Strata
- Property investment
- Building and construction
- Fraud under state crimes laws
- Fraud against the Commonwealth
- Lawyers
- Accountants
- Courts
- Workers compensation insurance
- Health insurance
- Marine insurance
- State or Commonwealth insurance programs (e.g. Compulsory Third Party insurance for vehicles)
- Money changers
For more information read Information Sheet 151 ASIC’s approach to enforcement (INFO 151).