On Monday, May 21, 2018, the North American Securities
Administration Association (NASAA) announced a coordinated
series of enforcement actions by state and provincial regulators in
Canada and the United States to crack down on fraudulent Initial
Coin Offerings (ICOs) and cryptocurrency
investment products. To date, "Operation Cryptosweep" has
resulted in nearly 70 inquiries and investigations, as well as 35
pending or completed enforcement actions related to ICOs or
cryptocurrencies since the beginning of May, including the recent
warning issued by the Ontario Securities Commission against five
digital currency firms (as described in our recent blog post).
Joseph P. Borg, NASAA President and Director of the Alabama
Securities Commission, emphasized that NASAA members are committed
to combating the threat of fraud in the cryptocurrency market. Borg
commented that the "actions announced today are just the tip
of the iceberg", noting that the NASAA task force has