How this page can help you
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What a pension scam is
A pension scam often involves a fraudster targeting someone who has access to their pension and involves encouraging them to move the funds, which may result in money being lost or unreasonable charges.
Accessing your pension before the age of 55
- A promise to convert your pension to cash before retirement, and sometimes before the age of 55, can also be called pension liberation.
- This name makes it sound positive, but it's not usually possible to access your pension before the age of 55 unless you are seriously ill.
- If someone offers you a scheme like this, it’s probably a scam and will result in serious tax consequences.
- In fact, taking your pension early could mean you’re charged up to 70% of your pension value. On top of that, the company offering this will probably have transfer fees that could also take a large portion of your pension pot.
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Investing your pension in to a dodgy scheme
- If someone calls you out of the blue offering you an investment scheme with attractive returns for your pension pot, then it’s likely to be a scam.
- If you’re over 55 and are deciding what to do with your pension pot, always speak to a legitimate financial advisor.
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Unexpected calls
There has been a government ban on cold calls regarding pensions so you shouldn't receive them unless you have asked them to.
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Early access to funds
Someone offering a way to access your pension before you’ve reached retirement age. Remember, taking your pension early could mean you incur charges
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Investment opportunities
If someone calls you out of the blue offering you an investment scheme with attractive returns for your pension pot, then it’s likely to be a scam.
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Pushy 'advisors'
Where you are pressured into making a quick decision about a ‘new’ scheme or encouraged to transfer your pension quickly.
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Steps to protect yourself
If you’ve had a call about a pension scheme and you aren’t sure if it’s genuine or not, there are a few steps you can take to double-check.
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Check if the person or company is legitimate by having a look at the Financial Services Register or calling the Financial Conduct Authority on 0800 111 6768.
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If the call is from a company you recognise but you’re not sure if it’s legitimate, put the phone down immediately, find the company’s phone number on their website and ring them directly.
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3
Don’t give away your financial or personal details over the phone. A legitimate scheme and company will not ask for these.