How to protect yourself from fraud.

We would like to alert you that Brown Shipley has been informed of attempted frauds being perpetrated using the Brown Shipley name, relating to the opening of high interest deposit accounts. The fraudulent activity links to a brownshipleyam.com domain with an associated email address of advisor@brownshipleyam.com.

This domain and the associated email address have not been registered by Brown Shipley, are not legitimate and are linked to fraudulent activity.  Brown Shipley is taking necessary steps to have the domain and associated email deactivated.  It is possible that fraudsters may attempt to contact you using this domain, so we ask that you remain vigilant. Other domains that may be being used illegitimately include brownshipleygroup.com or brownsshipley.co.uk.

Brown Shipley’s genuine email and website addresses are detailed below for your reference:

• Brown Shipley Advisors: firstname.surname@brownshipley.co.uk
• Marketing Communications: info@mail.brownshipley.co.uk
• Website: www.brownshipley.com

For further support, take a look at our 'How to protect yourself from fraud' guide, which provides examples of fraudulent activity and useful tips on how to keep safe. We would encourage you to familiarise yourself with this guide.

If you suspect that you have become a victim of fraud or attempted fraud, please contact your usual Brown Shipley Client Advisor. 

Further information

If you would like to find out more information about how to protect yourself against fraud, do take a look at the following websites which offer straight-forward and impartial advice to help protect you against financial fraud: 

·       Take Five - www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk

·       Get Safe Online - www.getsafeonline.org

·       ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) - www.ico.org.uk

·       National Cyber Security Centre - NCSC.GOV.UK

·       Action Fraud

·       Cifas - https://www.cifas.org.uk/

•    Or read our 'How to protect yourself from fraud' guide here

BANK GUARANTEE FRAUD AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Overview
Fraudsters may present a fake bank guarantee to create the illusion of security. This tactic is designed to convince you that the risk is mitigated, prompting you to proceed with the deal.

A fake bank guarantee is usually produced by fraudsters that are not related to the bank. The fraudsters often use sample letter heads of the bank published on the internet. Nevertheless, fake bank guarantees can also be produced by fraudulent staff members of the bank who are not entitled to issue the guarantees. These fake bank guarantees often cannot be detected as fake by their appearance. 

What is a bank guarantee?
A bank guarantee is a guarantee given by the bank to cover a payment obligation of an individual or a business in a contractual transaction in the event the individual or business

Is not able to fulfil their financial obligations.

In other words, a bank guarantee is a way of ensuring promises are kept and payments are made in different situations. It can be used in situations like construction projects, international trade, loans, investments, and instances where people want extra protection to make sure things go smoothly or as planned.

Avoiding the scam
To avoid scams, always check if a bank guarantee is real. These documents can be complex, so it is best to ask your own bank for help. They have experts who can advise on the legitimacy of the guarantee. It is also advisable to consider using a reputable legal adviser or professional.

Beware of opportunities that sound too good to be true: 

• Risk free investment opportunities with high yields. 
• Offers exceeding market prices or other offers you receive by far. 
• Offers that are only valid for a short time.
• Unusual upfront fees, e.g. for financial services.

Also, do your own research. Look into the person or company giving you the bank guarantee.

Make sure the people who signed the bank guarantee actually exist and are allowed to issue it.

To check this, contact the bank that supposedly issued the guarantee but do not use the contact details from the documents or emails you received. Instead, find the bank’s phone number or email through a trusted source such as their official website or a verified business directory. Check for reviews, references, and whether they have the proper licenses to operate. This can help you spot red flags and anomalies before it is too late.

It is important you stay up to date on common scams so you can spot warning signs early. Knowing what to look for helps protect you and your business from fraud.

AUTHORISED PUSH PAYMENT (APP) FRAUD
Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud occurs when criminals deceive you into transferring money to them by pretending to be someone you trust such as your bank, financial adviser, or a legitimate company.

According to the UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2025, 70% of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud cases originated online, while 16% were initiated via telecommunications networks.

The most common types of APP fraud include

• Romance fraud: When criminals create fake dating profiles to build a relationship and then ask for money.
• Purchase fraud: When scammers pretend to sell items or services that don’t actually exist.
• Investment fraud: When you are persuaded to invest in a bogus fund or opportunity that turns out to be a scam.
• Impersonation fraud: When fraudsters pose as your adviser, a bank staff, police, officials or someone from a trusted organisation to trick you into giving them money.
• Invoice fraud: When fake invoices are sent to trick individuals or businesses into making payments.

To protect yourself, follow these key steps:

• Awareness: Acquaint yourself with the contents of our 'How to protect yourself from fraud' guide. This guide has helpful tips on how to avoid frauds and scams.
• Pause and Reflect: Fraudsters often pressure you to act quickly. Take a moment to question any unexpected payment requests, even if they seem authentic.
• Verify Through Trusted Channels: Always confirm payment instructions using contact details you already know and trust, not on those provided in the message or email you have received.
• Beware of Impersonation: Be cautious of messages claiming to be from your adviser, Brown Shipley, or Quintet requesting urgent payments or account changes.
• Use Confirmation of Payee: Many UK banks offer this feature to help ensure the account name matches the intended recipient.
• Report Anything Suspicious: If you suspect fraud, contact us right away. Acting quickly improves the chances of recovering your money.

To help keep you safe, while processing a payment for you, we might ask you additional questions about the payment, please always answer these questions truthfully. If someone asks you to lie or tells you what to say to us to effect a payment, then it is likely to be a scam. Your awareness is your best defence.

AUTHORISED PUSH PAYMENT SCAMS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• From‌ 7 Oc‌tober 2‌024, new UK-wide banking regulation comes into effect from the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). This will change the way authorised push payment (APP) scams are dealt with.  
• An authorised push payment scam happens when you discover that the person you are paying isn’t who you thought they were, or the payment is for a different reason than expected.
• Payments covered are UK payments made via CHAPs or Faster Payment from the 7th of October; overseas payments and payments made via card or cheque are not covered.  
• Claims must also be made within 13 months of the payment date, so please contact us as soon as you suspect you may have been a victim of a fraud.
• If your claim is valid, then your money should be refunded within 5 business days, subject to a maximum of £85,000. There is also a £100 excess which can be applied.  
• If we require additional time to gather information on the payment, then in some cases a refund may take up to 35 business days.
• We may need to ask you for additional information on the payment made and could also ask you to report the scam to the Police, through Action Fraud.

Read our handy guide here

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