Guides covering fake investment opportunities, pension fraud, clone firm scams, and financial impersonation targeting UK consumers. Learn to protect your savings.
Ponzi schemes are illegal investment frauds that collapse when new investor money runs out. In the UK, scammers often pose as legitimate investment firms, using social media and WhatsApp to recruit victims and promise guaranteed high returns.
Cold-called about shares with a free research report thrown in? The FCA's name for this is a 'boiler room' — check before you invest.
Contacted by someone claiming to be the FCA, police, or a solicitor offering to recover money you've already lost? That contact is the scam.
An unexpected call about your pension? Cold-calling about pensions has been illegal in the UK since January 2019 — hanging up is the safest move.
Offered easy money for letting cash pass through your bank account? How to spot a money mule recruitment scam and avoid serious legal trouble in the UK.
Promised guaranteed forex returns on social media? Check any broker on the FCA's Firm Checker before you deposit a single penny.
Offered cheap land 'certain to get planning permission' as an investment? How to spot a land banking scam, check safely, and report it in the UK.
Contacted about an IVA that will 'write off most of your debt'? How to spot a fake IVA offer, find genuine advice, and report it in the UK.
A firm gives you contact details that differ from the FCA Register? That's the clone-firm trick — always call back only on the Register's own number.
Bond scams promise unusually high returns on investment bonds, then ask for upfront fees or deposits that disappear. Fraudsters often impersonate legitimate investment firms or create convincing fake websites to steal thousands from unsuspecting UK residents.
Contacted by a company promising to wipe or reduce your debt for an upfront fee? How to spot a debt relief scam, find free help, and report it in the UK.