Securities & Charities Division Highlights Best Practices with State Law Enforcement

Staff Report

Friday, August 26th, 2022

On Tuesday, the Secretary of State Securities and Charities Division led the Investment and Donor Fraud: Detect and Investigate Financial Exploitation seminar during the GBI’s Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) Training Symposium in Savannah. The Securities and Charities Division was selected due to the division’s ongoing collaboration with state and local law enforcement agencies to protect Georgians from financial scams.

Noula Zaharis, Division Director, was among the presenters. “This is a wonderful example of interagency cooperation where law enforcement comes together to reinforce that together we are the “Justice League” for Georgians,” said Zaharis. “We appreciated this opportunity to strengthen the relationships between our division and other law enforcement agencies. Our division frequently assists with complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations. Training like this highlights the importance of those relationships.”

The Secretary of State Securities and Charities Division enforces state law regulating securities firms, investment professionals, and the investment products they offer the public. It also enforces the state law regulating the fundraising activities of charities. Among other initiatives, it also promotes financial literacy and fraud deterrence programs. Recently, the Division published the Investor & Financial Literacy Guide, a tool to help Georgians maximize their financial strength and empowering them to make informed decisions on investments, debt, and maximizing wealth.