Touting
Touting is publicising a security in exchange for compensation. It is lawful if the payment is fully disclosed and unlawful under Section 17(b) if it is not.
Where does touting come up?
This term is used in the following manipulation techniques, each explained in full on its own page.
Enforcement actions involving these techniques
| Action | Agency | Filed | Technique | Penalty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC v. Joshua A. Weiss (paid stock promotion, 2026) | SEC | 2026-07-10 | Paid Stock Promotion | — | judgment |
| SEC v. Stephen J. Czarnik (paid stock promotion, 2026) | SEC | 2026-06-29 | Paid Stock Promotion , Unregistered Distributions | — | judgment |
| SEC v. Vestech Partners LLC and others (paid stock promotion, 2026) | SEC | 2026-04-08 | Paid Stock Promotion | — | settled |
| SEC v. Justin Sun, Tron Foundation Limited, BitTorrent Foundation Ltd., Rainberry, Inc., and DeAndre Cortez Way (paid stock promotion, 2026) | SEC | 2026-03-05 | Paid Stock Promotion , Wash Trading | — | judgment |
| SEC v. George John Drazenovic (paid stock promotion, 2025) | SEC | 2025-12-19 | Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump | — | judgment |