Home  /  Insights  /  Property Legal, Risk & Compliance
Property Legal, Risk & Compliance  

How to Recover Money from an Investment Scam in the UK

Authorised firm or not? That changes everything.

How to Recover Money from an Investment Scam in the UK Property Legal, Risk & Compliance

Updated October 2026 · Fraser Bond

Fraud · Investment scams

Investment scam recovery

FCAregister check
FSCSif authorised
BanksAPP claims
Clonefirms
In short: First check whether the firm was authorised by the FCA. If you dealt with a genuine authorised firm that failed, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) may cover eligible claims, and the Financial Ombudsman can look at complaints. Many investment scams use "clone firms" that copy the name of a real firm, so check the register details carefully. If you paid by bank transfer, ask your bank about APP reimbursement. Report to Action Fraud and the FCA. Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to get your money back. Fraser Bond is a property agency, not a recovery firm; this is independent guidance.

What to do

1
Check the FCA registerIncluding the Warning List and clone firm alerts.
2
Contact your bankFor bank transfer reimbursement.
3
ReportAction Fraud and the FCA.
4
FSCS or OmbudsmanIf an authorised firm was involved.

Frequently asked questions

Can the FSCS help with scams?

Only for eligible claims against authorised firms.

What is a clone firm?

A scam copying a real firm's details.

Renting or buying safely?

We verify owners, landlords and payment details on every deal.

Speak to our teamGet a free valuation

Related guides

Next step

You are one message away from an answer.

If you have a question

Send it to us and get a straight answer.

Describe the property and the problem. We will tell you what we would do, what it should cost, and if we are not the right people, who is.

  • Replies the same working day
  • The person who answers is the person who handles it
  • No fee, and no obligation to instruct us
If you are looking for a property

See everything we are instructed on.

Sales and lettings across Prime Central London and the wider UK, with the same team behind every listing.

  • Residential and commercial in one search
  • Filter by borough, budget and size
  • Register once and we will send matches first