Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesCheck the regulator’s official register yourself, then verify that its entry matches the exact company, website and service you plan to use. A name on a register is not enough: a real firm can be impersonated, its permissions may not cover the product being offered, and a listing does not guarantee your money or investment is safe.
How to verify a firm before you send money
- Identify who is actually providing the service. Note the full legal entity name, any trading name, website domain, claimed registration or reference number, address and phone number. Identify the country where you are being offered the service and what it does: for example, exchange, custody, brokerage, investment advice or derivatives. A group’s brand, parent company and service provider may be different legal entities.
- Go to the regulator independently. Type the regulator’s known official web address or find it through a government directory. Do not rely on a badge, QR code, search result advertisement or register link supplied by a salesperson. Use the regulator’s official register for the relevant country and activity.
- Find the record and compare identity details. Match the legal name and trading names, domain, address, telephone number and reference number against the details you have. Contact the firm using details from the independently verified register—not a number or link sent by the person selling you the investment.
- Read the permissions, not just the status label. Check which activities, products and services the record permits, any restrictions, and whether the permission covers the exact offer. One registration does not establish that every activity or product from that business is regulated.
- Check warnings and status history. Look for regulator warnings, disciplinary information, historical entries, and indications that authorisation has been revoked or ended. Treat a warning or unexplained status mismatch as a reason to stop and verify directly with the regulator.
- Compare protections and make a decision. Check whether the particular service and product qualify for any complaint or compensation scheme, and what protection applies to customer assets. If identity, permission or status remains unclear, do not deposit money or send crypto.
The FCA’s consumer guidance says using an authorised firm with the correct permissions “will greatly reduce the risk of harm. It won’t remove all risk.” Its guide, first published 20 March 2023 and last updated 22 September 2026, explains how to check a firm or individual: FCA: How to check a firm or individual is authorised.
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Where to check in the UK
Use the Financial Conduct Authority’s Firm Checker and Financial Services Register. The FCA describes the register as its official public record for firms and individuals. Open the detailed record and check the entity, contact information, status, warnings and permitted services against the offer in front of you.
FCA authorisation is not the same as crypto AML registration
Some crypto businesses, including certain exchange and custody providers, are registered with the FCA for anti-money-laundering supervision. That narrower registration is not authorisation for every regulated investment service, and it does not amount to a general endorsement of the business or its products. The FCA says most crypto-related activities are not regulated in the UK; registration also does not automatically provide access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) or the Financial Ombudsman Service. Check the actual activity and protections rather than inferring them from a crypto registration. See the FCA’s crypto investment scams guidance.
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An FCA-authorised firm may also offer unregulated products or services. A firm’s presence in the register therefore does not, by itself, establish that a particular crypto asset, investment or service is covered by FCA rules or a compensation scheme.
Where to check in the United States
Use the regulator database that fits the firm’s role and product; a crypto platform may combine several activities, so no single search necessarily answers every question.
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- Brokers and investment advisers: Start with Investor.gov’s Check Out Your Investment Professional search. SEC IAPD and FINRA BrokerCheck are relevant for investment advisers and brokers, respectively. Investor.gov says most brokers must register with the SEC and join FINRA, while retail investment advisers generally register with the SEC or their state securities regulator.
- Other relevant activity: CFTC guidance points consumers to NFA, SEC, FINRA and state securities regulator records as relevant to the firm or professional. Check the regulator that oversees the specific activity rather than assuming a broker or adviser search covers an exchange, derivatives service or custody arrangement.
- Crypto securities: If securities are involved, the applicable requirements depend on the product and the intermediary’s role. The SEC warns that crypto asset securities may involve significant risks; a platform’s general claim that it is registered does not settle whether the particular service is properly registered. See Investor.gov: Exercise Caution with Crypto Asset Securities.
The CFTC also advises checking relevant records and watching for red flags before paying or sending digital assets: Curious About Crypto? Watch Out for Red Flags.
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Fraudsters may copy a legitimate firm’s name, registration details, branding or website content, then substitute their own domain, phone number, email address or payment instructions. The genuine firm can appear in an official register while the person contacting you is unrelated to it.
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- Compare the full domain and contact details character by character with the regulator record; a similar-looking website is not a match.
- Call or email using independently verified contact details, and ask whether the person and offer are genuine.
- Do not use contact information provided only by the seller, including a link to what appears to be a regulator page.
- Before sending crypto, independently verify the destination and the reason for payment. A genuine firm’s identity does not validate a wallet address supplied by an impostor.
Investor.gov recommends contacting a seller through independently verified firm details, such as those in the genuine Form CRS, rather than details supplied by the seller. Its alert explains the risk of fraudsters posing as brokers or investment advisers: Investor.gov: Fraudsters Posing as Brokers or Investment Advisers. The FCA also warns about clone firms in its authorisation-check guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a clean register result does—and does not—tell you
A current, matching record with relevant permissions is useful evidence that a firm or person is subject to specified oversight for specified activities. It is not proof that an investment is sound, the firm is solvent, customer assets are safe, or you will recover losses. Registration does not eliminate fraud or market risk, and a warning list’s failure to mention a firm is not proof that it is legitimate: warnings may be incomplete or an investigation may not yet have occurred.
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Rules and protections depend on jurisdiction, the legal entity, the activity and the product. A global platform may use different entities for exchange, custody, advice or derivatives, each with a different regulatory status. Check the live register and current rules for the country where the service is offered; do not treat one jurisdiction’s entry as worldwide approval.
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When to stop
Do not send funds, crypto or identity documents while you investigate if any of these apply:
- The register’s company name, domain, phone number or address does not match the person contacting you.
- The firm is absent from the relevant register, has a warning, or its status is revoked or no longer authorised.
- The record does not show permission for the service being offered, or the seller cannot explain which legal entity provides it.
- You are promised guaranteed returns, pressured to act immediately, or told to use an unofficial payment channel.
- You cannot establish what complaint, compensation or asset protections apply.
If a record is unclear, contact the regulator through its official site. In the UK, the FCA says firms shown as “No longer authorised” or “Revoked” cannot carry on regulated activities. Do not interpret an old record or a genuine firm’s name as current authorisation for a different entity or service.
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