Six firms were added to the FCA Warning List in the week to 24 August 2026, four of them presented to consumers as providers of fixed-return bonds and two as portfolio managers using the identity of firms that are genuinely authorised.
What the entries show
The regulator publishes the name in use, the websites, telephone numbers and email addresses associated with it, and the date the warning was first issued. Read across the six entries, three patterns stand out.
- Fixed returns quoted between 6.5 and 9 per cent, described as capital protected.
- Two entries using the reference number of an authorised firm alongside a mobile phone number.
- Domains registered within the last three months, several sharing a single hosting provider.
The recycled details problem
Two of this week's entries list a London landline that appeared on an entry published in June under a different company name. We have flagged the overlap in our archive; the number is now searchable there in any format. Where an operation keeps its infrastructure and changes only the trading name, the phone number is a better search term than the name.
What it means for readers
A listing is a warning, not a criminal finding, and the list is not exhaustive. The practical use is narrow and real: before you pay anyone, search the name, the website and the phone number, then check the firm on the FCA register and ring the number published there rather than the one you were given.
If you have already paid one of the firms listed, contact your bank immediately, report to Action Fraud, and use the Financial Ombudsman Service if the bank's answer is unsatisfactory. The FCA consumer helpline is 0800 111 6768. All of these are free.
Source: FCA Warning List. We publish the headline facts, a short summary and a link; the full entries remain on the regulator's own site.
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 feedThe weekly additions this report counts.
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 24/08/2026
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
The weekly additions this report counts.
- 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 24 August 2026 at 17:00 · last updated 27 August 2026 at 19:00
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 — The weekly additions this report counts.
- 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
Financial 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
- Warning list additions
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Sat 22 Aug
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Mon 10 Aug
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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