UK’s financial regulator warns for unauthorised and clone firms 

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s financial regulator regulator for 56,000 financial services firms and financial markets in the UK and the prudential regulator for over 18,000 of those firms, has issued announcements to warn investors and public about unauthorised and clone financial services firms.

According the announcements, FCA believes that the firms:

• Router Bank / Routar Bank

Address: Block B Unit 10, Tower Bridge Business Complex, London, England, SE16 4DG
Telephone: +44 – 7417358835
Email: customercare@routar-bank.com
Website: www.routar-bank.com, and;

• Higa and Partners

Address: 6th flr., Sanko Bldg. 3-9, Minami Hon-machi 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan, 541-0054
Telephone: +81645604031; +81345704389
Fax: +81676358539
Email: contact@higaandpartners.com
Website: www.higaandpartners.com

have been providing financial services or products in the UK without FCA’s authorisation.

Almost all firms and individuals offering, promoting or selling financial services or products in the UK have to be authorised by FCA.

However, some firms act without FCA’s authorisation and some knowingly run investment scams.

Furthermore, FCA issued announcements to warn about “clone firms”. According to FCA, fraudsters are using the details of firms the FCA authorises to try to convince people that they work for a genuine, authorised firm.

FCA informs that the below firms are not authorised or registered by the Authority but have been targeting people in the UK, claiming to be an authorised firms:

• Essential Loans (clone of a previously authorised firm)

Telephone: 02080773809; 0208 0776 396; 0203 129 0805; 0203 137 1043; 0208 0773 801; 02080774256
Email: Essentialloans.info@mail.com
Website: www.essentialloans.co.uk

Previously authorised legitimate firm’s details:

Firm Name: Essential Loans Limited
Firm Reference Number: 302732
Address: 352 Birmingham Road, Lickey End, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 0HJ, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 01527882200
Email: julie@essentialloans.com
Website: www.essentialloans.com

• Eich Invest t/a Capital Courtage (clone of authorised firm)

Telephone: +44 203 695 9522; +33 09.75.18.98.57
Email: support@CapitalCourtage.com
Website: www.capitalcourtage.com

FCA authorised firm details:

Firm Name: Capital Deposit Limited
Firm Reference Number: FRN 419 751
Address: 54 The Enterprise Centre, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar, EN6 3DQ
Telephone: +44 (0) 1707 645999
Email: info@capitaldeposit.co.uk
Website: www.capitaldeposit.co.uk

FCA warns that in all cases scammers may give out other false details or mix these with some correct details of the registered firm.

To protect themselves, FCA strongly advices investors and public in UK to only deal with financial firms that are authorised by FCA, and check the Financial Services Register to ensure they are.

Source: FCA – Router Bank / Routar Bank – Higa and Partners – Essential Loans – Eich Invest t/a Capital Courtage

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