The Financial Services Register is the FCA’s public record of every firm and individual it authorises. It is free, it is authoritative, and it is under-used. Most people never look.
Start by typing the address yourself
Go to register.fca.org.uk by typing it into the address bar. Do not follow a link from an email, a message, or a firm’s own website, and do not trust a search advert. A link can lead to a convincing copy of the Register; typing the address cannot.
Search, then match every detail
Search the firm’s name or its Firm Reference Number. When you find the entry, compare the contact details on the Register against the ones you were given — address, telephone number, and website.
This step is the one people skip, and it is the one that matters most. Cloned-firm fraud works by copying a genuine authorised firm’s name and registration number, then substituting a different phone number, email or website. The Register entry looks perfect because it belongs to a real firm. Only the contact route has been changed.
Check what the firm is actually permitted to do
Authorisation is not a general licence. Each entry lists specific permissions, and a firm may be authorised for one activity while having no permission for another. A firm authorised to arrange deals is not necessarily authorised to advise.
Check that the permission covers the thing you are actually discussing with them.
Check the individual too
The Register also records approved individuals. If you are dealing with a named adviser, confirm they are attached to the firm you think they work for.
If something does not line up
- Stop the conversation. Do not send money or documents while you resolve it.
- Contact the firm using the details on the Register, not the ones you were given.
- Report anything that looks like a clone to the FCA’s consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768.
Doing this for every firm, including ones that come recommended, costs a few minutes. It is worth building the habit. For the record: searching for St James Finance Ltd will not return an authorised firm, because we are not authorised — which is exactly what we say throughout this site.