The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) cautioned investors about a new identity theft scam designed to extract confidential information and cash from unwary individuals.

SIPC officials are investigating phony emails sent by a supposed "senior investment advisor" claiming to act for an SIPC member. Neither the individual nor the firm named in the message are involved in the solicitation. The email falsely claims the brokerage firm is acting on behalf of SIPC.

To get the information supposedly needed to file the claim, the sender includes a fake SIPC "Beneficiary Information for Automatic Deposit of Payment" form requiring information which could be used to withdraw funds from an investor's accounts. The phony form even includes a false detailed form routing number: "SIPC 4531/09 (4-00)."

Investor reports about such e-mails sent in the name of SIPC should be directed to vdrew@sipc.org. Investors receiving any such suspicious e-mails are encouraged to forward the original e-mail to SIPC.

To learn more about how SIPC brokerage account liquidations work, go to http://www.sipc.org/pdf/SIPC_brochure_Investors_Guide_To_BD_Liquidations.pdf on the Web.