It has been brought to our attention that there are scammers representing themselves as Fairstone offering Cryptocurrency investment opportunities.

In order to demonstrate credentials and gain trust these individuals may use a wide variety of legitimate information relating to the Fairstone Group, its advisers and staff.

Please be alert and report any suspicious activity to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and your regular adviser using contact details you have previously used.  Failing this, please send any queries or concerns to our Head Office on 0191 519 6000 or email info@fairstone.co.uk.

Protecting yourself from scams

The FCA have provided the following information on the general things we should all do to avoid scams:

• Treat all unexpected calls, emails and text messages with caution. Don’t assume they’re genuine, even if the person seems to know some basic information about you.
• Don’t be pressured into acting quickly. A genuine bank or financial services firm won’t mind waiting if you want time to think.
• Never give out your bank account or credit card details unless you are certain who you are dealing with.
• If you’re buying a financial product such as a loan, insurance, investment or pension, only deal with a FCA-authorised firm – check the FS Register to see if the firm is registered.
• Double-check the URL and contact details of a firm in case it’s a ‘clone firm’ pretending to be a real firm, such as your bank or a genuine investment firm.
• Check the list of unauthorised firms and individuals we’ve received complaints about. If the firm isn’t on our list, don’t assume it’s legitimate – it may not have been reported to us yet.
• Check your bank account and credit card statements regularly.
• Don’t give access to your device by downloading software or an app from a source you don’t trust. Scammers may be able to view, take control of your device and access your bank account.