Search our Warning List to find details of unauthorised firms and individuals that we’re aware of that aren’t allowed to operate in the UK.
Almost all financial firms in the UK must be authorised or registered by us.
Unfortunately, there are still firms that work without our authorisation.
You can use the FCA Firm Checker to find out if a firm is authorised and has permission for the service it's offering you.
If you can’t find a firm on the Firm Checker, contact us on 0800 111 676.
Make sure you only deal with authorised firms. If you deal with an unauthorised firm, you won’t be covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service if you want to complain. You also won't be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if the firm goes out of business. This means it’s unlikely you’d get your money back.
If you sent money to a fraudster on or after 7 October 2024, you may be covered by protections introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). Find what to do if you’ve been tricked into making a payment to a scam account.
Search the Warning List
Our Warning List shows the firms that we’re concerned are working without our permission.
We add firms to this list as soon as possible. But if a firm isn’t on the list, it may still be unauthorised or be a scam. Unauthorised firms often change their names, and we may not be aware of it yet.
To use the list, you can:
- Search for an unauthorised firm using the search bar.
- Filter results by the first letter of the firm.
- Click on the 'Name' column to order firms from A to Z.
If you’re dealing with an overseas firm, check the list of warnings from overseas regulators.
Subscribe to the RSS feed for regular updates
Search results update instantly to match the search query and any filters applied.
How to protect yourself
Be cautious of scammers pretending to be from authorised firms. They could be clone firms (a copy of a genuine firm). If you're contacted unexpectedly by a financial business, make sure you reply using the contact details on the Firm Checker.
If you think you’ve been targeted by a scam, please report it to us online. We look into every report we receive, and it could help protect others from fraudsters.
Learn more about how to protect yourself from scams.
Use the FCA Firm Checker
You can use the Firm Checker to make sure a firm is authorised.
Check a firm
Protect yourself from scams
Scams can be sophisticated, but if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Warning signs
Your rights with financial services
What to expect from providers, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Learn more
09/08/2019: Information added Further instructions provided to assist with searching firm list
