New MSRS Series: Protecting You and Your Finances

Person typing on laptop with cybersecurity symbols popping off the screen.

MSRS is starting a monthly educational series about cybersecurity and fraud awareness. In this series, we will share information, tools, and best practices to help protect you and your finances.

August 2026: Financial and Investment Fraud

For the month of August, let's take a closer look at financial and investment fraud. These types of scams involve tricking you into investing money based on false promises, often promising high returns with little or no risk. A few common scams include:

Impersonation of professionals and firms: Scammers pose as legitimate investment professionals or well-known firms using fake websites, encrypted message apps, emails, or social media profiles.
Relationship investment scams: Fraudsters build long-term relationships with victims to convince them to invest large sums in fake investment platforms.
Ponzi or pyramid schemes: Con artists promise high returns to investors. Money from new investors is used to pay previous investors.

Investment Safeguards

Do your research before investing with an individual or organization:

Check the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website created by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or your state’s securities regulator to verify the individual or organization.
Check the background of a broker, brokerage firm, or an investment adviser at BrokerCheck by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) or by the BrokerCheck Help Line at 1-800-289-9999.
Consult the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) consumer guide, Know Your Financial Adviser.

Slow Down and Ask Questions

Take your time when making investment choices and ask questions:

Be careful of “act now” or “before it’s too late” statements.
Say “no” to anybody who tries to rush you into an investment or decision.
Ask yourself, “Is this too good to be true?” If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Be suspicious of anyone promising guaranteed or unusually high returns.
Never judge an individual’s trustworthiness by the sound of their voice.
Do not provide anyone with money or personal information when you feel pressured, threatened, or scared.

Take Action

Fraudsters may contact you by phone, email, or social media, claiming to offer assistance with your finances. Scammers may also create fake investment websites or fake investment assets to encourage you to invest in them. Trust yourself:

If the call seems suspicious, hang up.
If a text or email feels wrong, do not respond.

Government employees will not threaten you or demand immediate payment. If in doubt, contact the agency directly. Report any discrepancies immediately to your financial institution and the authorities.

Monitor Accounts

Regularly check your accounts and your information:

Update your profile information to ensure your address, phone number, and email are current
Sign up for multi-factor authentication (MFA). This process adds steps to verify your identity before logging into the account.
Review your financial and investment accounts for any unusual or unauthorized transactions.
Be alert, and report any suspicious activities promptly.

Additional Resources

Learn more about preventing financial and investment fraud with the following resources:

Your MSRS Account

If an interaction seems unusual related to your MSRS account, we are here to help. At MSRS:

We will ONLY contact you about your retirement and savings plans if you submitted a request to MSRS.
We will never ask for your MSRS Account Online password or other codes.
DO contact us if you receive suspicious communications about your accounts.
Report the interaction to us on our Contact Us Form.

Feel Secure with MSRS

MSRS takes your privacy seriously. We actively take steps to safeguard your account and the integrity of our systems, such as multi-factor authentication, system monitoring, account auditing, and data encryption.

These security measures are integrated into the day-to-day practices of our operations as part of our continuing commitment to reducing fraud and risk.

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