Verify an investment-seminar invitation

Before you register, call or attend, find out who is hosting the seminar and what they plan to sell. Confirm the host through contact details you find yourself, not the phone number or website printed on the invitation. Treat the mailing as a starting point for questions, not as a basis for any investment decision.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated October 2, 2026.

Questions to answer before you reply

Copy the host name exactly as printed, along with any firm, speaker, venue, address and phone number. Check whether the name on the return address matches the host named inside.
Work out what the event is for. Note any offer of a free meal, report or consultation, and write down whether the invitation says what product or service will be presented.
Use FINRA BrokerCheck for a speaker claiming a broker-dealer role, or the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site for an investment adviser. The SEC also recommends contacting your state securities regulator. Match the actual person and firm, and note any unresolved mismatch.
If the invitation says your bank or another provider you use is involved, call that provider on the number from your own statement or card and ask.
Set your limits before the event. For example, decide that you will not sign anything, give account numbers or move money on the day.

What the invitation does not prove

The SEC recommends investigating a seminar’s promoters and speakers before attending. Check the records appropriate to the role they claim, rather than relying on a web-search match or the venue’s reputation. Registration details do not endorse a product or guarantee returns.

Record what is being sold, the stated costs and any pressure to decide immediately. Confirming the host does not make a promotional event independent advice. Keep the original invitation and your verification notes if you later need to report suspected mail fraud.

Private seminar worksheet

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Host name as printed: [host name] Speakers named: [speaker names] Return address and phone on mailer: [address and phone] Does the return address match the host: [yes/no] What is being offered or sold: [product, service or free item] Where I looked up the host myself: [search or directory used] What that lookup showed: [findings] Provider named, and what they said when I called: [provider and answer] My limits for the event: [limits] Decision and date: [decision, date]

Decide from your worksheet

Complete the worksheet, then decide based on your lookup results. If you cannot confirm the host or what is being sold, you can skip the event and file the invitation with your notes.

Official sources

Verify a number printed on unfamiliar mail Choose between mail-fraud and delivery support routes Preserve a mailer after you paid a suspected scam Suspicious mail All practical mail guides

Keep personal records with the organization that handles them

Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.

Compare removal routes