Watch for pressure and promises
The FCA warns about pension offers involving pressure, unusually attractive returns, complex arrangements and high-risk or unregulated investments. A tracing conversation that turns into an urgent investment pitch deserves a pause.
Sources: FCA: Pension scams
Choose the route yourself
Open the official website independently. Do not rely on a number or link supplied in an unexpected message as your only check. Write down the purpose of your enquiry before contacting the provider: identifying a scheme record is a narrower task than choosing a new investment.
If someone says they represent an organisation you recognise, end the conversation and use that organisation’s own published contact route to ask. Familiar names and logos are not enough to settle identity.
Share information deliberately
The genuine provider may ask for identification to match a record. Check where and why you are sending it, and use their secure process. Keep National Insurance numbers, identity documents and account credentials out of this site and out of a search box.
You can organise employer clues without uploading documents. A simple note saying “awaiting identity instructions from verified provider” is enough to keep the task visible without copying the sensitive material.
If you think something is wrong
Use the FCA’s current pension scams page for checking and reporting routes. If you have already shared information or sent money, explain that when seeking help so the relevant organisation can respond to the actual situation. Do not continue an uncertain process just to complete a checklist.
Sources: FCA: Pension scams
Sources & review
- FCA: Pension scamsChecked 2026-10-03
Next scheduled review: 2027-04-03. Provider details can change sooner. Use the official website for the current contact route.
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