Fraudsters change company names far more often than they change the telephone lines and mailboxes they work from. Reading across the clone entries published this summer, the same contact details reappear under different names — and that overlap is the most durable evidence available to a reader with two minutes and a search box.
What we did
We normalised every firm name in our archive (lower case, punctuation stripped, legal suffixes removed) and then indexed the contact details published alongside each entry: websites, email addresses and telephone numbers, reduced to digits so that formatting differences disappear. Then we looked for details appearing on more than one entry.
- One London landline appears on three entries published across ten weeks, under three different trading names.
- Two mailboxes on lookalike domains recur with a one-character variation between them.
- Several domains share a hosting provider and were registered within days of each other.
- In each case the firm being impersonated is genuinely authorised and unconnected to the approach.
What we are not saying
We are not naming individuals and we are not alleging criminal conduct. What we can show is that details published on separate warning entries overlap, and we publish the working so readers can check it. Where we approached the firms being impersonated, their responses are reflected in the entries.
What readers can do with it
Search the number, not just the name — our archive matches numbers in any format, with spaces, dashes or +44, and tells you which field matched. Then check the impersonated firm on the FCA register and call the number published there.
If money has gone: your bank first, then Action Fraud, then the Financial Ombudsman Service if the bank's answer is wrong. The FCA consumer helpline is 0800 111 6768. Every one of those routes is free, and we never refer readers to paid representatives.
Named in this report
Each file gathers every warning, published contact detail and update we hold on that name.
Firm warnings published each month
98 in this window · down 17 on the month before
- 2Apr
- 1May
- 2Jun
- 4Jul
- 53Aug
- 36Sept
Counted from the warning notices in our own archive. One notice can name several trading styles.
The wider record
Counts from our own archive, for context around this report. Not an estimate of fraud across the UK.
Clone firms as a share of our Warning List archive
Clone firms copy the name or details of a genuine authorised business.
- Clone of an authorised firm17(16%)
- Not recorded as a clone89(84%)
Contact details recorded against warned firms
One firm can appear in more than one row.
Website recorded76(35%)
Website recorded: 76 entriesPhone recorded39(18%)
Phone recorded: 39 entriesEmail recorded85(39%)
Email recorded: 85 entriesNo contact details held16(7%)
No contact details held: 16 entries
Open the data page to see how each figure is counted.
How this report was made
- Updated
- 3 times
- Primary sources
- 6 sources
- Following this subject
- 0 readers
- Reader comments
- 0 comments
Checked against the published record
FCA
FCA Warning List additions feedContact details published on each warning page.
FCA
Financial Conduct Authority Warning ListPrimary record of firms the FCA says may be operating without authorisation.
FCA
FCA Financial Services RegisterAuthoritative check on whether a firm is authorised and for what.
PSR
Payment Systems Regulator — APP fraud reimbursementThe reimbursement requirement for authorised push payment fraud.
FOS
Financial Ombudsman ServiceFree, independent adjudication and published decision data.
Action Fraud
Action Fraud reporting serviceThe UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
Sourcing. Every claim is tied to a published record — a regulator's notice, a court or ombudsman decision, or a document we hold. We quote a headline and a short summary and link the original.
Right of reply. Firms and people we criticise are put on notice before publication and their response is carried in the piece.
Independence. No affiliate links, no sponsored placements and no referrals to solicitors or claims firms. The only routes we point to are free. Read the full method · first published 25/08/2026
Trust and sourcing
- Bylined
- Editor approved
- Not flagged for review
Legal review
Not required
No individual or firm is criticised, so no right of reply was required.
Source URLs behind this report
- FCA
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/warning-list-unauthorised-firms
Contact details published on each warning page.
- FCA
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/warning-list-unauthorised-firms
Primary record of firms the FCA says may be operating without authorisation.
- FCA
https://register.fca.org.uk/
Authoritative check on whether a firm is authorised and for what.
- PSR
https://www.psr.org.uk/
The reimbursement requirement for authorised push payment fraud.
- FOS
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
Free, independent adjudication and published decision data.
- Action Fraud
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
The UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
What changed in each update
First published 25 August 2026 at 07:00 · last updated 28 August 2026 at 09:00
Added the current free reporting routes and clarified what the reimbursement rules do and do not cover.
Payment Systems RegulatorChecked against the source record and refreshed the figures and dates in the panels. No findings changed.
FCA Financial Services RegisterFirst published.
FCA Warning List
Updates and change log
- First published
- Last updated
Added the current free reporting routes and clarified what the reimbursement rules do and do not cover.
Payment Systems RegulatorChecked against the source record and refreshed the figures and dates in the panels. No findings changed.
FCA Financial Services RegisterFirst published.
FCA Warning List
Sources for this report
- FCA FCA Warning List additions feed — Contact details published on each warning page.
- FCA Financial Conduct Authority Warning List — Primary record of firms the FCA says may be operating without authorisation.
- FCA FCA Financial Services Register — Authoritative check on whether a firm is authorised and for what.
- PSR Payment Systems Regulator — APP fraud reimbursement — The reimbursement requirement for authorised push payment fraud.
- FOS Financial Ombudsman Service — Free, independent adjudication and published decision data.
- Action Fraud Action Fraud reporting service — The UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
Sources for this report
FCA Warning List additions feed
FCA
Contact details published on each warning page.
Read the original sourceFinancial Conduct Authority Warning List
FCA
Primary record of firms the FCA says may be operating without authorisation.
Read the original sourceFCA Financial Services Register
FCA
Authoritative check on whether a firm is authorised and for what.
Read the original sourcePayment Systems Regulator — APP fraud reimbursement
PSR
The reimbursement requirement for authorised push payment fraud.
Read the original sourceFinancial Ombudsman Service
FOS
Free, independent adjudication and published decision data.
Read the original sourceAction Fraud reporting service
Action Fraud
The UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
Read the original source
We link directly to the original source wherever possible. A source may update its own page after we publish; we show the date we last recorded or updated the citation.
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- Clone firms
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About the author
Priya Raghavan — Priya tracks the FCA Warning List, clone firms and unauthorised investment promotions, and writes the reference explainers.
Reader comments
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House rules: comments are for readers' own experience and questions about the reporting. We remove spam, abuse and anything that names a private individual without cause. Comments containing links are held for an editor before they appear. We cannot tell you whether you have a claim, and we do not pass details to any solicitor, claims firm or representative.