Please refer to our previous article regarding a financial scam in the financial services industry here. One of our clients has kindly supplied the following information
The adviser received an email in December purporting to be from one of their wealthiest clients, stating that they were in the Ukraine and that all their money had been stolen. They had managed to keep their passports but now needed funds to fly home urgently.
The fact that the email came from the client’s email address looked genuine, but it was in broken English; nevertheless, that could have been because the clients had just been mugged and would therefore have been extremely upset.
The adviser did not respond to this email and waited for any further instruction on the basis that if the clients really were in a desperate situation, then they would have followed up, contacted their family, etc.
Finally, the adviser rang the client who confirmed that they had been hacked and requests had gone to everyone in their address box.



Abridged advice – how is it going so far?
Alistair MacDougall Compliance 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, abridged, Drawdown, FCA, Pension, Pension Transfer, PI, transfer
Based on data and live visits to firms during the period from April 2015 to rule changes in 2018 and 2020, the FCA believed that far too high a proportion of clients were being recommended to transfer safeguarded benefits. This was predicated on the longstanding rule which stated: “… a firm should start by assuming […]