The third of Britain’s three Crown Dependencies has today joined the other two, Jersey and the Isle of Man, in warning its residents to “be vigilant” in order to avoid being taken advantage of by financial scammers.
In a statement posted on its website, the Guernsey Financial Services Commission said: “You are reminded to be vigilant about any requests for your personal security information, as scammers can be very convincing.
“In addition, if you ever receive an SMS or email asking you to contact your bank, you should always do so using the phone number you have on any existing documents or on your bank card.”
It said it was taking the action at a time when “there has been extensive media coverage in recent weeks about different types of scams currently targeting local residents”.
As reported, similar warnings were posted on the websites of the Jersey Financial Services Commission and the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority last Monday and Tuesday.
In its statement today, the GFSC told Guernsey residents that further advice on the matter of financial scams was available from the UK’s Action Fraud website as well as from the GFSC’s own website’s consumer pages.
“If you think you have fallen victim to a scam, you should tell your bank immediately, and also report it to Guernsey Police,” the GFSC statement added.
The issue of financial scams has received more press than usual in recent months in many UK publications, in part as a result of what some have said has been an increase in the number of scams that have been taking place in the wake of a change in the UK’s pension regulations, which have made it easier for individuals to access their pension pots, and press reports of a UK government consultation into the problem.
Last year, both Jersey and Guernsey were named in a case involving a Guernsey-based Brazilian debt fund that went into administration, which turned out to have been an arm of a Miami-based company, known as Providence Financial Investments, which had a Guernsey operation, and which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the US on 28 July.
