Public urged to beware of fake financial firms
BBCMembers of the public have been warned not to fall foul of unauthorised financial service providers.
The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) said it was continuing to see an increase in scams in Jersey, with criminals becoming more sophisticated.
The warning followed a public statement from the commission highlighting a scam entity called Sky Dove Finance.
It said the entity displayed warning signs of being set up for fraudulent purposes.
The JFSC warned islanders Sky Dove Finance was falsely claiming to trade from Sir Walter Raleigh House in St Helier and "any deposit-taking business" it conducted was "in contravention of Article 8 of the Business (Jersey) Law BB(J)L".
It said scammers often pretended to be local professionals, government authorities, financial regulators, well-known organisations, friends or family members.
It added: "They may use real names, cloned websites, copied branding and AI generated images or voices.
"Their aim is to convince you they are genuine and pressure you into transferring money or sharing personal information."
Spotting a scam
The JFSC said islanders should look for the following signs of a scam if receiving an unexpected message, friend request, email, text, call or letter:
- Spelling mistakes and poor grammar
- Pressure and urgency for you to do something
- Asking or telling you to click on a link
- Unusual payment methods
- Unusual communication methods
- Promises or offers that seem too good to be true
- Requests for sensitive and/or personal information
- Website addresses and social media accounts that contain small changes from genuine sites
People who believed they had been targeted should report their situation to the JFSC's enforcement team, States of Jersey Police and their bank if a payment was made.
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