Cloning of websites (2012-12-21)

Summary

This is a warning notice issued by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission alerting licensees and the public to an increase in cases where genuine websites, including those of legitimate licensees and investment funds, are being cloned by fraudsters to facilitate scams.

• Nature of risk: Fraudsters are creating clone websites that mimic legitimate licensees and investment funds to carry out various scams.
• Recommended action: Licensees are encouraged to regularly check that their own websites have not been cloned.
• Reporting: If a cloned site is discovered, the Commission's Intelligence Team should be contacted (phone number given) for assistance.

The notice is advisory in nature, raising awareness of a fraud typology rather than imposing new regulatory rules or reporting deadlines.

Key obligations

• Licensees are encouraged to regularly check that their websites have not been cloned
• If a cloned site is discovered, contact the Commission's Intelligence Team for assistance

Applies to

licensees, investment funds