Beware of fraudsters posing as Aegon, other financial institutions and regulating bodies
We’ve had several reports of criminals impersonating Aegon by creating fake websites and email addresses. With financial scams on the rise, the criminals behind them are becoming more sophisticated and these methods of contact can look legitimate.
Fraudsters may also clone adviser and introducer firms, offering opportunities to invest in genuine investment products. Brochures, application forms and advertising are sent through mailing service companies by the fraudsters, who have no intention of arranging the investment, but instead will deposit funds into an account controlled by them for their own benefit.
Cloned or fake websites can be used by fraudsters in several ways. Potential victims may be contacted by email and asked to click on a link to the firm’s website, using warning messages such as “unauthorised activity” or “security update”. The link will take the victim to a site that may look genuine but is used to unlawfully collect personal information and security credentials or contain malicious attachments which are then used to commit identity theft. In other cases, these websites, along with false email address and telephone numbers, may be a front to entice innocent investors into parting with their money.
As well as the initial scam, if you've fallen victim to an investment scam, you may be subject to multiple spin-off scams offering a recovery service for example, to get back lost funds at an additional cost. In these cases, the fraudsters are claiming to be a regulated body in an attempt to add legitimacy to their contact with you.
Some of these scams are sophisticated enough to include false email addresses and telephone numbers which at first glance, may appear genuine.
Fraudsters are known to spoof genuine numbers so before providing any personal information or continuing with a transaction, if you have any concerns, please ensure you independently call the company who are making contact with you.
To stay safe, it’s important to know who you’re speaking to and avoid giving away sensitive information.
The only legitimate Aegon UK domains are:
- aegon.co.uk
- cofunds.aegon.co.uk
- retiready.co.uk
- aegon-arc.co.uk
- arc.aegon.co.uk
- one.aegon.co.uk
- aegonservicing.co.uk
- maritzcx.com*
- inmoment.com*
- online1.snapsurveys.com*
- snapsurveys.net*
*While the maritzcx.com, inmoment.com, online1.snapsurveys.com and snapsurveys.net domains do not belong to Aegon UK, you may receive communication from us regarding a survey from an email address ending in @maritzcx.com, @inmoment.com, @online1.snapsurveys.com or @snapsurveys.net.
If you receive contact from an email address that looks suspicious or ends with something other than one of our registered domains, please report it.
Who to look out for
Websites pretending to be us:
- aegonlimited.com
- aegonlondon.com
- cofundsaegon.co.uk
- aegonglobalmarkets.com
- aegonglobalmarkets1.com
If you receive contact from an email address that looks suspicious or ends with something other than one of our registered domains, please report it.
Our top tips on avoiding scammers
- Pause, take your time and don’t be rushed into making a quick financial decision.
- Never give out personal information, including your bank details.
- Beware of websites offering to unlock your pension before age 55 or offering you high returns to change your pension arrangements. If it looks too good to be true it often is.
- Always find out who you are dealing with by checking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) online registers and list of FCA unauthorised firms and individuals.
- Check the FCA warning list online tool for known investment scams.
- Get guidance or advice from a regulated adviser before changing your pension arrangements.
- Report any concerns to us, your adviser, Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, Police Scotland or the FCA consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768.
We’re here to help
We are all too aware of what scammers are up to, and we’re working hard to stop them in their tracks. Thanks to you, there are a number of websites that have already been reported and taken down.
Getting sites taken down can take time, and so we ask that as well as reporting these to us, that you get scam savvy and protect yourself.
Remember, if you come across a website or email address claiming to be Aegon but something doesn’t feel right, please let us know and we’ll investigate it right away.
