Scammers are increasingly impersonating the UK regulator online, with the Financial Conduct Authority warning firms and consumers to remain vigilant against fake communications and cloned websites designed to steal sensitive information.
The FCA has updated its public alert list detailing a growing number of fraudulent emails, texts, letters and websites pretending to come from the regulator. The warning highlights how scammers are using convincing copycat domains, fake employee names and cloned versions of the FCA Register to trick victims into handing over personal or financial information.
The regulator said fraudsters are increasingly targeting firms by impersonating FCA employees through fake email addresses and domains that closely resemble official FCA web addresses. In some cases, scammers have even copied genuine FCA branding and websites to make the scams appear legitimate.
Among the fake domains identified by the FCA are “register-fca.org.uk”, “mail-fca.org” and “members-fca.org”, which mimic official FCA services. The watchdog stressed that genuine FCA emails only come from addresses ending “@fca.org.uk”.
The latest warning follows previous concerns raised about cloned versions of the FCA Register being used by scammers to appear authorised. In an earlier report by Good Money Guide, it was revealed that fraudsters had been creating fake replicas of the FCA Register to convince potential victims they were dealing with legitimate regulated firms.
The FCA has also warned about scam text messages claiming there has been a data breach and asking recipients to call fake helplines. Victims may then be pressured into revealing bank details, passwords or PIN numbers. The regulator said it will never ask consumers for banking passwords or authentication credentials by text message.
Fake physical letters are also being circulated. The FCA said it has received reports of forged correspondence allegedly signed by senior FCA executives and referencing non-existent supervisory reviews.
The regulator is urging anyone who receives suspicious communications claiming to be from the FCA to verify the sender carefully and report potential scams immediately.
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
