It has come to the attention of the Central Bank of Ireland (‘Central Bank’) that fraudulent entities have been operating as investment firms / investment business firms in the State in the absence of appropriate authorisations. In multiple instances, the fraudulent entities cloned and impersonated a legitimate Central Bank authorised firm in order to deceive customers.
MAN Asset Management (CLONE) (Ireland and United Kingdom), formerly operating the website: www.man-am.com, cloned the details (name and registered address) of Man Asset Management (Ireland)
Limited. Furthermore, this unauthorised firm cloned the details (FCA registration number) of an FCA authorised firm based in the United Kingdom.
A further clone entity impersonated Man Asset Management (Ireland) Limited by issuing prospectus documents to consumers advertising an investment fund used to purchase bonds. The legitimate firm has no affiliation with this fund. Contact details
used by the unauthorised clone in this instance include the email addresses inquire@clientportal-man.com, sales@noreply-man.com and accounts@noreply-man.com, and the phone number +353 1 6621 410.
It should be noted that there is no connection whatsoever between the Central Bank authorised firm and the unauthorised entities that have cloned its details. It should also be noted that there is no connection whatsoever
between the FCA authorised firm and the unauthorised entity that has cloned its details.
A list of unauthorised firms published to date is available on the Central Bank
website.
It is a criminal offence for an unauthorised firm to provide financial services in and from Ireland that would require an authorisation under the relevant legislation for which the Central Bank is the responsible body for enforcing. Consumers should
be aware, that if they deal with a firm that is not authorised, they are not eligible for compensation from the Investor Compensation Scheme.
Fraudsters are increasingly using legitimate firms’ details to add an air of legitimacy to their fraud. The fraudsters will ‘borrow’ some or all of the legitimate information of an authorised / legitimate firm for the purpose of this fraud.
They may quote authorisation numbers / company registration numbers and links to seemingly legitimate websites and even provide the real address of an authorised / legitimate firm. Consumers are advised to check our register to verify a firm’s details and to call the firm back directly using its advertised phone number. Always access the register from our website, rather than through links in emails or on a firm’s
/ person’s website.
There are some further steps that individuals should take before dealing with firms / persons which purport to offer financial services:
- Always double-check the URL and contact details of a firm / person in case it is a ‘clone firm / person’ pretending to be an authorised firm / person, such as your bank or a genuine investment firm.
- Check the list of unauthorised firms. If the firm / person is not on our list, do not assume
it is legitimate – it may not have been reported to the Central Bank yet. - Check that the product being offered to you is present on the website of the legitimate firm.
- If you are considering buying a financial product or dealing with a firm, through a website or social media, or if you receive an unsolicited phone call, email, text message or pop-up box out of the blue, take the SAFE test.
- For further information, please visit the Avoiding Scams and Unauthorised Activity section of the Central Bank’s website.
Please remember:
- the Central Bank will never contact you asking for money, your personal data or your PPS number; and
- if you are offered something that seems too good to be true, it is most likely a scam.
Source: CBI Ireland
