How to Check an Adviser on the FCA Register

Before you trust anyone with your pension, your investments or your family’s future, there is one free check that matters more than any brochure or recommendation: is the adviser actually authorised to do the job? The Financial Conduct Authority keeps a public register of every firm and individual permitted to give regulated financial advice in the UK, and searching it takes about five minutes. Skipping that step is the mistake that lets scammers through the door.

This guide walks through exactly how to find and read the FCA Register, what the permissions and status entries mean, how to spot the warning signs of a clone or an unauthorised firm, and what protection proper authorisation actually buys you. It is information rather than personal advice, but on this particular point the message is unambiguous: never take regulated advice from anyone you have not verified.

Why the check matters

Giving regulated financial advice in the UK without authorisation is a criminal offence. That is not a technicality: it is the foundation of every consumer protection that follows. When you deal with an authorised firm, you gain access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if something goes wrong and, if the firm fails, to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Deal with an unauthorised person and you have neither; you are simply trusting a stranger.

Investment scams cost UK consumers hundreds of millions of pounds a year, and a striking share of victims never checked whether the “adviser” was authorised. The fraudsters rely on exactly that, a polished website, a confident manner and a plausible story are cheap to fake, but a genuine entry on the FCA Register is not. The register is the line between a regulated professional and a convincing impostor, and reading it is free.

It is worth doing even when the adviser was recommended by someone you trust. A personal referral tells you a friend was happy; it does not confirm that the firm is currently authorised, that it holds the right permissions for your need, or that the person contacting you is genuinely who they claim to be. The most professional advisers positively expect to be checked and will hand you their Firm Reference Number without being asked. Treat the register not as an insult to an honest adviser but as the routine hygiene that every honest adviser already assumes you will carry out.

How to search the register

The register is published by the Financial Conduct Authority and is searchable free by anyone. You do not need an account or any personal details. The steps are simple, and doing them in the right order protects you from the most common trick, being handed fake contact details.

1. Go to the FCA Register directly

   Type the FCA Register address into your browser yourself rather than following a link the adviser sent you. Starting from the source defeats most impersonation attempts.

2. Search by name or reference number

   Enter the firm’s name or its Firm Reference Number (FRN). Advisers should give you their FRN on request; a reluctance to do so is itself a warning sign.

3. Confirm the status is “Authorised”

   Check the firm’s status reads authorised or registered for the activity you need, not “no longer authorised”, “cancelled” or a plain appointed-representative gap.

4. Cross-check the contact details

   Use only the phone number, website and address shown on the register. If they differ from what you were given, treat that as a serious red flag.

5. Check the individual too

   Search the adviser’s own name to confirm they are linked to the authorised firm. Legitimate advisers are traceable back to a firm that holds permissions.

That fourth step, using only the details on the register, is the one that defeats clone-firm scams, so it is worth doing deliberately rather than assuming the number on the glossy letter is genuine. Five minutes of care here is the cheapest insurance in personal finance.

Reading the entry

A register entry contains more than a yes-or-no answer, and learning to read it is worth the effort. Beyond the firm’s name and reference number, the entry shows its authorisation status, the regulated activities it is permitted to carry out, the addresses on file, and any restrictions or requirements the regulator has imposed. Each of these tells you something.

A status of “no longer authorised” does not always mean wrongdoing, firms close, merge and rebrand for ordinary reasons, but it does mean you should not be taking new advice from that entity today. Likewise, a firm authorised only for, say, insurance mediation is not authorised to advise you on pension transfers. The entry rewards a careful read rather than a glance.

Permissions and what they cover

Authorisation is not a single, all-purpose licence. The FCA grants firms specific permissions for specific regulated activities, and a firm can only advise you on things it is permitted to do. This matters most in the higher-risk corners of advice. A defined-benefit pension transfer, for example, requires a firm to hold a particular permission, and such transfers valued above £30,000 legally require regulated advice before they can proceed.

So the check is not merely “are they authorised?” but “are they authorised for what I need?” If you are seeking help with a final-salary pension transfer, confirm the pension-transfer permission specifically. If you want investment advice, look for permission to advise on investments. A firm operating outside its permissions is a firm to avoid, however impressive it looks, and matching permissions to your need is exactly the kind of legwork our guide on choosing an adviser encourages.

You may also encounter the term appointed representative. This is a firm or individual that operates under the authorisation of a larger “principal” firm, which takes regulatory responsibility for them. That is a legitimate and common arrangement, but you should still be able to trace the appointed representative back to an authorised principal on the register. If you cannot make that link, ask, and do not proceed until it is clear.

A useful discipline is to read the permissions alongside the exact service you are being offered, not in the abstract. If someone is proposing to move your pension, the words on the page should match: permission to advise on pension transfers is not the same as permission to advise on investments, and a firm authorised only for mortgages or general insurance has no business recommending an investment portfolio. Where the permission and the pitch do not line up, that gap is the whole point of the check: it is precisely how well-presented but unauthorised advice is caught before any money changes hands.

Red flags and clone firms

The most dangerous scam is the clone firm, because it hijacks the reassurance the register is meant to provide. Fraudsters copy the exact name and reference number of a genuine authorised firm, then supply their own phone number, email or website to intercept your contact and, ultimately, your money. The register entry they point you to is real; the people you are actually talking to are not the firm it describes.

The single defence that neutralises the clone-firm trick is the habit already stressed above: contact the firm only through the details on the register itself, never those handed to you by whoever made the approach. Unsolicited contact and time pressure are the twin hallmarks of a scam, genuine advisers are content for you to verify them thoroughly, because they know they will pass.

What authorisation protects

Dealing with an authorised firm is not just a box-tick; it changes your legal position materially. If you receive unsuitable advice, you can complain to the firm and escalate free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which can order redress. If the firm becomes insolvent, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme may cover eligible claims up to its limits. These protections exist only when the adviser is authorised, which is precisely why scammers work so hard to appear so.

It is worth being clear about what authorisation does and does not promise. It confirms the firm is regulated and accountable; it does not guarantee that every recommendation will suit you or that investments will perform, investments can fall as well as rise. Authorisation is the floor of protection, not a promise of profit. That is why verifying the register is a first step, to be followed by the wider due diligence on competence, fees and fit covered elsewhere in this cluster.

After the check

Once you have confirmed an adviser is properly authorised and permitted for what you need, the harder and more interesting work begins, assessing whether they are the right adviser for you. That means weighing their qualifications, understanding how they charge, and asking the questions that reveal how they will actually work with you, all of which sit alongside the fee picture in how much a financial adviser costs.

This is the part Vetted Wealth is built to shortcut. We are a free concierge service that only ever introduces you to advisers we have already checked on the FCA Register and vetted for permissions, qualifications and track record, so the verification work is done before you ever pick up the phone. We are not an adviser; we make the safe introduction, and you can start on the financial advisers hub or the choosing an adviser guides.

Common questions on choosing an adviser