The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a warning against a clone of the regulated entity, Claims Solution UK Limited. The clone firm, operating under the name Expert Solutions and using the website expert-solutions.net, is attempting to deceive individuals by impersonating the authorized financial entity.

Clone Firm's Details

According to the watchdog, the clone firm Expert Solutions operates under various false details, including its name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses, and website. These details, such as the address at 32 Threadneedle St, London, EC2R 8AY, and telephone numbers 447993930291 and 447488875788, are fabricated to appear legitimate.

Clone firms mimic the details of legitimate companies authorized by the FCA in an attempt to appear genuine. Such entities may manipulate contact details over time to evade detection. The FCA has urged the public to differentiate between clone firms and authorized entities.

In this latest warning, the genuine firm is regulated by the FCA with the reference number 833973 and is located at 5 The Pippins, Shotton, Deeside, Flintshire, CH5 1PE, United Kingdom. Any connection between the clone firm and the authorized entity is fraudulent.

Risks for Consumers

The FCA mentioned that engaging with clone firms poses significant risks to consumers. Notably, individuals dealing with such entities have no access to the Financial Ombudsman Service for complaint resolution. Moreover, they will not be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, compromising the possibility of recovering funds in case of business insolvency or malpractice.

To safeguard against financial scams, individuals should only engage with firms authorized by the FCA. To verify whether a company is registered, users can use the Financial Services Register. Additionally, users can respond to unexpected communications from financial entities using their registered contact details.

Last year, the FCA stepped up its enforcement efforts against misleading financial promotions and unauthorized firms, resulting in record fines and the cancelation of 1,266 firms. This proactive approach underscored the FCA's commitment to safeguarding consumers and maintaining market integrity.

Besides that, the regulator removed over 10,000 potentially misleading adverts and issued 2,243 warnings about unauthorized firms and individuals. Notably, between January and October 2023, the FCA canceled several entities that failed to meet its minimum standards for authorization, doubling the number of cancellations compared to the previous year.