Bogus E-mails

This notice is issued by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority (“FSA”) in accordance with the powers conferred upon it under Section 30 of the Financial Services Act 2008.

Bogus e-mails falsely purporting to have been sent by the Capital International Group.

The FSA has recently become aware that unsolicited e-mail purporting to originate from Capital International Group (‘Capital’) has been received by parties on the Isle of Man and elsewhere.

The particular e-mail, via its sender e-mail address and the message delivered in the body of its text, is clearly bogus. For example, the named person in the sender e-mail address is different from the person whose name is stated as the sender and the sender e-mail address in the e-mail indicates that it has originated from a free e-mail service. However, in the correspondence it refers to a correct website and purports to have been sent by a Capital employee who is referred to as ‘Chief Financial Officer’.

The sender of the e-mail states within it that, “I do have the mandate of a PRIVATE client of mine with delicate political background to seek for individuals with Financial Management know-hows to handle the investment and management of over US$900M without the mention of his name”.

The FSA wishes to draw attention to the following observations:

Five Capital International Group companies are licensed by the FSA in the Isle of Man.

We can confirm that the aforementioned e-mail did NOT originate from, nor has it been issued with the knowledge of either Capital or any of its employees.

Under the circumstances, the FSA feels that any person responding to this or other ‘spam’ or ‘ bogus’ e-mail(s) may potentially become the victim of a fraud.

OR

It may be an attempt at gaining personal data from the recipient in order to steal their identity – see Identity Theft on our consumers page.

Also see information issued by the Isle of Man Office of the Information Commissioner at:

https://www.gov.im/lib/docs/odps/ds_id_theft_id_fraud.pdf

Any persons who have concerns should contact the Enforcement Division on +44 1624 689321 for advice.

If you are confused as to whether or not you are dealing with the genuine Capital International Group of companies you can visit their website at www.capital-iom.com.

The FSA wishes to thank the FSA licenceholder that brought this matter to their attention and who, upon noting the bogus nature of the e-mail, invoked their own internal protocols to ensure that they and their clients were protected.

FSA Reference: NB/02/2016