FCA warns shardcreditpartners.uk is a clone of FCA-authorised Shard firms
The FCA warned on 30 October 2026 that shardcreditpartners.uk is an unauthorised clone of FCA-authorised Shard Capital AIFM LLP and Shard Credit Partners Ltd, which have no connection with it.
- First reported
- Reports
- 1
Source: fca.org.uk · published
What happened
On 30 October 2026 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a warning that “shardcreditpartners.uk” is a clone firm. The FCA says it is not authorised by the FCA but has been contacting people while pretending to be an authorised firm. The details the FCA lists as used by the fraudsters are the website shardcreditpartners.uk and the email addresses brown@shardcreditpartners.uk and info@shardcreditpartners.uk. The FCA names the genuine firms being copied as Shard Capital AIFM LLP and Shard Credit Partners Ltd. It says the genuine firms have no connection with the clone, and they are not involved.
How the scam works
A clone firm copies the name and sometimes the registration details of a real, authorised firm so that a quick check on the FCA register seems to confirm it is genuine. The FCA does not say what the clone offers or how people were approached. It notes that fraudsters may give out other false details, including email addresses, telephone numbers, postal addresses and Firm Reference Numbers, may mix these with the genuine details of authorised firms, and may change their contact details over time. The address list in a warning is therefore a snapshot, not a complete list.
The FCA explains why this matters. Anyone who deals with an unauthorised firm will not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they want to complain, and will not be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, so it is unlikely they would get their money back if the firm goes out of business. If money was sent to a fraudster on or after 7 October 2024, protections introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator may apply to payments that people were tricked into making. The FCA's advice is to deal only with authorised firms, to use the FCA Firm Checker to confirm the firm and its permissions, and to reply to unexpected contact only using the contact details shown on the Firm Checker.
Source
Financial Conduct Authority, warning “shardcreditpartners.uk (Clone of FCA firms)”, first published 30 October 2026.
Red flags
- A firm contacting you at shardcreditpartners.uk or from brown@ or info@shardcreditpartners.uk.
- A name that matches an FCA-authorised firm (Shard Capital AIFM LLP, Shard Credit Partners Ltd) but a different website and email domain.
- Contact details that differ from those on the FCA register for the real firm.
- Unexpected contact about a financial product or investment.
- A firm that mixes real firm details with other, unverifiable numbers or addresses.
If you were targeted
- 1Do not deal with shardcreditpartners.uk or send it money or documents.
- 2Check any firm on the FCA Firm Checker and contact it only using the details listed there.
- 3If you were contacted unexpectedly, hang up or ignore it and look the firm up yourself.
- 4If you sent money, contact your bank immediately; the PSR protections may apply to payments made on or after 7 October 2024.
- 5Report clone firms to the FCA on 0800 111 6768 or through its online form.