Why DIY Investors Are Targeted
Self-directed investors tend to have meaningful assets, make their own decisions, and communicate directly with financial institutions through digital channels. That combination makes them a priority target for scammers, who are well aware that there is no advisor in the room to raise a red flag.
Fraud attempts against retail investors have grown more convincing in recent years, partly because fraudsters now use publicly available information to make initial contact sound legitimate. They may know your name, your account type, or even a recent transaction. That familiarity is calculated. It is designed to lower your guard.
The Most Common Scams to Know
Account Takeover
In an account takeover attempt, the fraudster already has some of your information, often obtained through a data breach or phishing attack, and attempts to access your account to change contact details, redirect distributions, or liquidate holdings. You may receive an unexpected notification about a password reset, a change to your email address or phone number, or a distribution you did not initiate.
If you receive any of these notifications and you did not trigger them, treat it as an emergency. Contact Janus Henderson immediately using the number on the back of your statement or on janus henderson.com.
Impersonation of Janus Henderson
Fraudsters will sometimes pose as Janus Henderson representatives, reaching out by phone, email, or social media to alert you to a supposed problem with your account. The message typically creates urgency: your account has been compromised, a transfer is pending, or you are owed a refund. You are then directed to provide personal information, log in through a link embedded in the message, or call a number that routes to the scammer.
What to look for: email addresses that are close but not quite right (for example, “janushendersonn.com” or “janus-henderson-support.com”), a sense of manufactured urgency, requests for your password or one-time verification code, and phone numbers that do not match the contact information on janus henderson.com.
Janus Henderson will never ask you to share your password or a one-time security code by phone or email, and we will never direct you to verify your identity through a link sent in an unsolicited message.
Investment Opportunity Fraud
These scams present an investment that sounds either too good to be true or exclusive. Common versions include “guaranteed return” schemes, cryptocurrency opportunities, private placements with celebrity backing, or claims that you have been selected for an early-access opportunity. The goal is to get you to transfer money out of your verified accounts and into an account controlled by the scammer.
Legitimate investment opportunities do not come with guaranteed returns. All investments carry risk, and no regulated investment firm can promise a specific outcome.
Social Media Impersonation
Fraudsters create fake social media accounts, pages, and groups that appear to represent Janus Henderson or Janus Henderson employees. They may use these to solicit investments, offer “advisor access,” or provide links to phishing sites. Janus Henderson does maintain official social media channels, but we do not use them to solicit investments or request account information.
Refund and Overpayment Scams
Less common but worth knowing: a scammer contacts you claiming you are owed a refund or settlement, then instructs you to deposit a check and wire back the excess. The check is counterfeit. By the time your bank identifies it, the wire has already gone.
What Janus Henderson Will and Will Not Do
Understanding our actual practices is your most reliable filter.
Janus Henderson will:
- Contact you using the email address or phone number on file with your account
- Ask you to verify your identity using security questions or multi-factor authentication through our secure systems
- Communicate account changes through official written notices to your address of record
- Direct you to janus henderson.com for any account activity
Janus Henderson will not:
- Ask for your full password, PIN, or one-time verification code over the phone or by email
- Request that you transfer funds to a new or unfamiliar account to “protect” your assets
- Use WhatsApp, Telegram, or personal email to conduct account business
- Ask you to download remote-access software to assist with your account
- Send unsolicited investment opportunities through social media or text message
Steps to Protect Yourself
Use strong, unique account credentials. Your Janus Henderson account password should be different from every other password you use. A password manager makes this manageable.
Enable multi-factor authentication and web notifications. If your account supports it, turn it on. It significantly raises the cost of an account takeover.
Be skeptical of urgency. Scammers create time pressure to prevent you from thinking clearly. A legitimate institution will give you time to verify. If someone is pushing you to act now, that is a reason to stop, not to speed up.
Verify through a source you control. If you receive a suspicious call or email, do not use the number or link provided. Look up Janus Henderson’s contact information independently and call directly.
Check your account regularly. Routine review of your account activity makes it far easier to catch unauthorized changes or transactions early.
Be careful what you share publicly. Social media profiles, online forums, and public records can give fraudsters the personal details they need to make their approach sound credible.
If You Think You Have Been Targeted
If you receive a suspicious communication that claims to be from Janus Henderson, or if you notice account activity you did not authorize, contact us directly:
- By phone: Call 800.525.3713 (the number listed on your account statement and on the official Janus Henderson website)
- Online: Log in directly at janus henderson.com, not through any link in an email or text message
- By mail: Use the address listed on your official correspondence
If you believe you have already been a victim of fraud, contact your financial institution immediately and consider filing a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov and the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
A Final Note
The best protection against fraud is the habit of pausing before you act. Scammers are skilled at making interactions feel routine. The moment a communication requests personal information, account credentials, or a transfer of funds, it deserves extra scrutiny, regardless of how legitimate it appears.
Janus Henderson takes the security of your account seriously. We will never ask you to compromise it. If you are ever uncertain whether a communication is genuine, trust that instinct and verify through a channel you control.
This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only. There is no guarantee that the information supplied is accurate, complete or timely, nor is there any warranty with regards to the results obtained from its use.