Protecting Yourself Against Scams
Schroders Group companies have been targeted by various scam and fraud attempts. In recent incidents of this nature, individuals or organizations have posed as professionals from Schroders Group and/or offered counterfeit investment products (which are not sold or marketed by any members of Schroders Group, including Schroder Investment Management Australia Limited). Please stay vigilant when considering any Schroders Group companies offering even if it has been offered to you directly.
Latest Scams
There are many different types of scam, carried out through constantly evolving methods, and sometimes with a high degree of sophistication. It is important to remain vigilant when considering any investment opportunity. We recommend checking this page regularly to stay updated on the most common types of scam involving Schroders Group products and businesses, including:
Internet Advertisements - Fraudulent organizations have been using internet ads to promote fake investments, leading members of the public to unofficial websites that mimic the visual identity and language of genuine companies, such as those within the Schroders Group.
Members of the public have been contacted through phone calls, emails and social media, which have contained prospectuses and application forms related to fake investment products, with the aim of receiving payment for these fraudulent investments. Specific examples of fake domains used to purport Schroders Investment Management Australia Limited with fraudulent fixed rate bond investments include:
- simportalau.com
- schrodersportfolio.com
- Schroders-privatewealth.com
In some instances, the fraudsters have directed members of the public to the genuine Schroders website (www.Schroders.com) or to fraudulent portals, Schroders Investment Management Australia Limited does not market products via portals to direct investors or make unsolicited contact requests through email or over the telephone. For your safety, if you have any doubts regarding the authenticity and legitimacy of information, reach out to us directly on +1300 136 471 or contact us via the reportscams@schroders.com email address.
Social Media Scam Alert - The active scam monitoring activities developed by Schroders have shown that fraudsters often contact potential investors through social media (e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram), personal emails, and private messaging apps, offering deceptive investments. If you have been contacted on social media regarding investment schemes allegedly associated with Schroders, please contact us through our official contact channels listed on this website and this page. Schroders is actively working with social media platforms, law enforcement, and regulators to prevent this type of fraud.
Advanced Fee Fraud - Beware of scams where fraudsters pretend to be representatives of law firms, government authorities, or claim to work at Schroders, offering, for example, an unknown inheritance money or asset recovery services for a fee to be paid as an advance. Schroders does not engage in such practices and would never contact you in this manner. If you have been a victim of fraud or lost money in an investment, be cautious of any direct contact requesting payment of advances or transaction charges for asset recovery services, as it could be a scam. Stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities.
Protecting Yourself
To protect yourself from scam activity, consider the following:
1. Have you received unsolicited contact about an investment opportunity via phone, email, or social media?
2. Have you seen adverts on your social media feeds offering unusually high returns on investment in question?
3. If you have spoken to someone via email or phone, did you feel pressured to make a decision without time to consider the merits of the investment?
4. Have you been offered a high return on your investment with seemingly little or no risk?
5. Have you been told that the investment opportunity is exclusive to a small group, of which you are a part?
If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions, we encourage you to conduct additional checks to ensure the validity of the offer.
If you have any doubt, please contact us through the channels listed on this page before taking any action. Criminals use various tactics to appear legitimate, such as setting up cloned websites, redirecting you to our genuine website (www.Schroders.com), or sending you a prospectus with Schroders branding and our office address. There are even cases where an initial payment is offered to convince you to invest larger sums. Be aware of these signs and always verify the legitimacy of the investment.
1. Stop and review. Before making any investment decisions or providing personal information to third parties, take a moment to pause and think, especially if a call, letter, email, or text came unexpectedly and without your request. Schroders will never rush you to make an investment decision.
2. Question the offering. Does the offer sound too good to be true? Are there gaps in the information you're being given? Does the contact information match up with what you find in the public domain? Always question sudden and unsolicited contacts that contain urgent appeals for investment, and only provide personal information with extreme caution. When it comes to letters or emails, confirm the legitimacy of the message source by ensuring it is trustworthy and carefully examining both the sender's address and the content. Do not provide personal information over the phone unless you are certain of the caller's identity.
3. Protect yourself. If you think you've fallen for a scam, contact your bank and local police immediately – they will be able to assist you, for example, with the Special Refund Mechanism (MED), an instrument associated with Pix and created to help victims of scams recover their funds in case of fraud. Secondly, contact us so that we can assist you and protect others from falling victim to the same frauds.
If you believe you have encountered any suspicious incidents, please contact our team on +1300 136 471 or contact us via the reportscams@schroders.com email address.
How to verify a genuine email
Schroders will not contact you directly to market our products.
Be alert when interacting with Schroders email addresses. Look for slight misspellings, unusual addition of numbers and suspicious/unusual characters.
If you are unsure about the sender's identity, do not respond to the email. Instead, contact us immediately at reportscams@schroders.com.
Scam Prevention Resources
The third-party site below may help you with further support information. Please note, Schroders is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this site.
https://moneysmart.gov.au/check-and-report-scams/what-to-do-if-you-ve-been-scammed
https://www.accc.gov.au/national-anti-scam-centre