A professional-looking website, familiar company name or registration number can make a financial offer seem reassuring. None of those details proves that the person contacting you works for the firm they name. Before sending money, check both the business and the route through which you reached it.
Begin with an independent official check
Use the FCA’s Firm Checker to investigate a financial firm. Reach the FCA independently rather than through a link supplied by the salesperson. A search advertisement or message directing you to a supposed official check can itself be part of an impersonation.
Write down the exact legal or trading name, website address, telephone number and any firm reference number you have been given. Check spelling carefully. A similar name is not a match, and a copied reference number does not establish who controls a website.
Check the activity as well as the name
The FCA’s authorisation guidance explains how to check a firm or individual and the importance of permissions. A firm’s presence on an official record does not mean it can carry out every financial activity.
Look for the particular service you are considering, relevant restrictions and the firm’s current status. If the record is unclear, ask the FCA for guidance before proceeding. Company registration and financial-services authorisation serve different purposes; one should not be treated as a substitute for the other.
Rule out a copied identity
Scammers can borrow details from a genuine authorised firm and change the contact information. The FCA describes these as clone firms. The genuine business may have nothing to do with the offer you received.
Use the contact details on the official FCA record to reach the firm yourself. Ask whether it operates the website, employs the person and offers the exact product being discussed. Do not rely on the caller confirming their own details or transferring you to another person within the same call.
For example, a message may quote a real firm reference number but direct payment to a different business. That inconsistency needs explaining independently before any money moves. Familiar branding does not close the gap.
Understand what protection applies
Authorisation is not a guarantee that an investment is suitable or that you cannot lose money. Any access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or Financial Services Compensation Scheme depends on the firm, activity, product and circumstances. Check the position for the specific arrangement rather than assuming a logo means blanket protection.
Ask for clear written information about fees, risks, withdrawal restrictions and who will hold the money. If an explanation is confusing, pause until it is understandable. Someone’s willingness to answer questions is useful, but it does not replace the independent checks.
Allow time before making a decision
Pressure to act immediately, secrecy and promises of unusually attractive returns deserve scrutiny. Stop if you are being coached through a warning or told to mislead your bank. Do not send a small payment merely to test whether an offer is genuine.
If you have already paid and now suspect fraud, contact your bank or payment provider immediately using a trusted number. Keep messages, account details and receipts. For a new offer, the practical rule is straightforward: verify the identity, permissions and contact route before deciding whether the product itself deserves consideration.
