Guide · Fraud
How to spot an investment or romance scam before you send money
Most fraud cases investigators see start with a person you met online and a reason to send money quickly. These checks take minutes.
01Search their photos
Scammers borrow photos from real people.
- ✓Reverse image search each profile photo
- ✓Same photos under a different name
02Check the firm with the FCA
Anyone offering investments in the UK must be authorised. Cloned firms copy real firms' names.
- ✓Firm on the FCA register
- ✓Contact details match the register, not the email you received
03Check the website's age
A scam site is often only weeks old.
- ✓Domain registration date
- ✓Copied text from another firm's site
04Watch for pressure
Urgency, secrecy and unusual payment methods are the strongest signals.
- ✓Asked to pay in crypto or gift cards
- ✓Told not to tell your bank or family
05Report it
If you think you have been targeted, report it and call your bank on the number on your card.
- ✓Report to Action Fraud
- ✓Forward scam texts to 7726
Short on time?
Get a first look with AI Private Eye
AI Private Eye follows these same investigator checks and drafts a cited dossier with confidence ratings. Findings are AI-generated leads, so confirm the important points on the official records above.
General information, not legal advice. More guides