The FCA said today that it had received reports about a 'fake regulator' based in the US calling itself the Federal Financial Regulatory Board but apparently operating, at least partly, in the UK.
It appears that UK scammer are using the fake regulator to legitimise boiler room operations here, with investors told that firms and investments are regulated by the bogus organisation.
The UK regulator said: “We believe this firm has been providing financial services or products in the UK without our authorisation.”
The FCA alerted investors that British-based boiler rooms (share pushing scam firms) may be referring consumers to this fake regulator to “legitimise” requests for funds. The FCA’s equivalent in the US, the SEC (US), has already issued an alert on the organisation.
The FCA warns investors and others to be “especially wary” of dealing with this unauthorised firm and to be aware of any scams.
The fake organisation’s address is listed as: Federal Financial Regulatory Board, 4th Floor, 100 State Street, Boston, MA02109, United States. The email address is listed as This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and website as: www.fedfinregboard.com