The FCA has issued a warning to Financial Planning firms to be wary of scam text messages which claim to have been sent by the regulator.
It said the messages warn of a data breach and include an 0800 number to call.
Anyone who calls the number may be asked to share bank account details but the FCA said: “If you receive a message like this, do not respond or share any information.”
The regulator said some of the texts are designed to look like they come from the same sender it uses use for MyFCA one-time passcodes to login to your account. It pointed out that genuine MyFCA authentication messages will not include an 0800 number. It said: “We will never ask for your bank details, PINs or passwords.”
The FCA warned: “Scammers may attempt to trick your firm into revealing important information by pretending to work for the FCA. They may reach out to you via email, phone or post, and use the name of an FCA employee to make you think the communication is genuine.
“While we do have measures in place to try and prevent certain scams, it’s important to check the communications you receive from us. Particularly if it’s unexpected.”
It has urged Financial Planners and advisers and others in the financial services industry to search its list of the fake FCA communications the regulator is aware of, and find out how to check whether a communication you’ve received from the FCA is genuine. The fake FCA communications alert is here.
Last month the regulator said it had received reports of fake letters claiming to be from Sarah Pritchard, its deputy chief executive, and referencing a fake FCA employee. It said the letter mentions a supervisory review in relation to a bank and includes a fake FCA phone number.
It urged anyone receiving the letter to report the details to the FCA by calling it on 0300 500 0597 or using its contact form.
Last year the FCA warned that crooks were using fake email addresses @members-fca.org and @member-fca.org. It said it only sends emails from addresses ending in @fca.org.uk
The regulator added: “If you're worried about a potential scam or you think your firm may have been targeted by a fraudster, report it to the FCA.”