These high-risk investments should not usually be advertised widely to the public. We banned the marketing of speculative mini-bonds and loan notes to ordinary retail investors from 1 January 2021.We did this because these are complicated investments, not suitable for most people. The ban means these high-risk investments should not usually be advertised widely to the public.But some unregulated firms may still try to sell them by using legal exemptions. You should be on alert if you’re offered these types of investments by someone not regulated by us. They may ask you to tick a box saying you are a sophisticated, experienced or high-net-worth investor before you can invest. Most people don’t meet these criteria.Be very careful before ticking any boxes, as it could mean you lose important protections if things go wrong. You’re unlikely to be able to take complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service or make a claim through the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
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What is FCA? We protect people by helping them understand some of the most common risks they might come across when using financial services.
We publish warnings about firms that are doing business without our authorisation, and we encourage consumers to report scams, potential harm or bad conduct to us.
Our ScamSmart campaign targets individuals who are most at risk of investment fraud and pension scams. Our InvestSmart campaign also warns newer investors about the risks of investing online.
We want to help consumers protect themselves, so we work with consumer organisations to raise awareness of what we do. These organisations also help inform our approach to regulation.